Anaerobic Digestion News

Rainier Biogas Digester to Use AD Plant Product as a Cow Bedding

2012-01-21T04:02:00.000-08:00

We were pleased to hear about the Rainier Biogas Digester, in an article by Greg Martin as part of the US based, Harvest Clean Energy Report. So much so that we have a quotation from that article here. Our interest was mostly in the final paragrphs though, and the notion that the fibrous digestate would be used as a cow bedding. Seems like a great idea. One wonders whether as a product it will be possible for the farms that supply manure will also pay for this product. We suspect that might be quite difficult?

I grew up living about 3 miles from a rather large feedlot and on certain summer nights you really knew it. A lot has changed since then and according to Daryl Maas with Farm Power Northwest what used to be a problem for livestock producers can now be an asset. Construction is getting underway on a new bio-digester in northwest Washington that was in the works for quite a while.

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MAAS: Originally the whole project was conceived as a feasibility study by King County a long time ago back, I believe, in 2002. And they spent several years studying whether or not a digester would make sense on the Green and White River watersheds where they’re at and after they had decided it made sense they went through a variety of designers, checked some technology, location and so that whole process took a good 6 years before Farm Power got involved.

King County approached Farm Power and asked for their assistance getting the project done. Infrastructure was a big part of the project.

MAAS: That was one of our largest difficulties really. We tend to try to pump 100% of our manure to the digesters. It’s just much easier, much more efficient to build a digester where everyone can move their manure via pipeline but one of the issues they’ve been having in Enumclaw is that there has been a lot of urban encroachment, a lot of people building 3 and 5 acre homesites, some small horse ranches out there so that the dairy farmers no longer operate in this wide open field environment.

Having to truck the manure would make this kind of project unlikely.

MAAS: But when you look at the pressures the farmers are facing for trying to dispose of their manure, not on 160 acre plots like we do in Skagit County but rather on 10, 15 and 20 acre plots, they really need some help processing that manure. And so we had to devise a system that would work in that environment with a lot of shorter pipelines and some trucking of manure and even some transferring of manure between farms from the farms that don’t have the space to put it to farms that do.

In addition to removing the manure Maas says there are some additional benefits.

MAAS: First of all we’ll be making a bedding product out of the manure when we’re done. When we process manure the fiber solids that are left over come out nearly sterile and they’re good for cow bedding so the farmers can use that as opposed to having to import wood shavings and other more costly products. Also just for the nutrient management we’re greatly improving their ability to handle their manure by giving them more options.

For additional information on clean energy, visit harvestcleanenergy.org. That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network

View the original article here

Malaby Biogas Gets New UK Anaerobic Digestion Plant with Funds Allocated by WRAP

2012-01-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to report that the UK is seeing progress on AD Plant projects, as WRAP funding is allocated to a UK biogas company. The following is quoted from a Bioenergy News magazine article , on 17 January 2012:

"UK-based Malaby Biogas has received a loan from an anaerobic digestion (AD) fund, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which will go towards building a new plant.

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The facility will be based in Wiltshire, and as Bioenergy Insight reported last month, will be built on a former 12 acre smallholding site.

The £800,000 (€960,000) loan will be used for the construction of the plant, which is costing a total of £5 million.

Malaby plans to use technology provider Marches Biogas for the installation and hopes to start commissioning the project in March.

‘Feedstock for the plant will be non-packaged food waste supplied by a new commercial collection operator with additional material potentially coming from other commercial and industrial food waste providers within the local area,’ says Malaby director Thomas Minter.

‘Initially the plant will process around 17,000 tonnes of waste a year and we’d hope to be able to handle up to 20,000 tonnes at full capacity.’

It is the first loan to be given by the fund and the programme aims to handout more to similar projects.

‘Malaby is the first of what we hope will be a number of companies to benefit from the anaerobic digestion loan fund and it is excellent to see such good progress being made at the Wiltshire plant,’ says WRAP director Steve Creed.

‘We’re currently considering a number of other applications, and the new round of loan awards for 2012 has just begun, so we’d encourage anyone who is interested in the fund to get in touch with us.’"

View the original article here

Using Biogas as a Chemicals Industry Feedstock Not Petrochemicals

2012-01-08T22:20:00.000-08:00

There are times when the research world seems to be positively ill-informed of developments in tenchnology. Here is a case in point. The waste management industry has been talking about this for some years and several start up companies are now trading on this as a business plan. Here is the article which explains the recent research on using biogas as a chemical industry feedstock :

Combustible gases generated by organic matter in landfill sites or from biomass are commonly burned to generate electricity.

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However, a Finnish team, writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Economy about using biogas as a chemical industry feedstock , suggest that such biogas might be more usefully used as an alternative feedstock for the chemical industry. They explain that using biogas in this way would reduce our dependency on oil and gas-derived products and is commercially and technically viable.

To initiate such a switch to biogas from landfill and other sources, there may have to be subsidies akin to those implemented in food production. However, as the price of raw fossil materials – oil and gas – continues to rise, biogas will become a more competitive alternative feedstock and government support could gradually be reduced. “The use of biogas can be promoted by identifying existing industrial sites currently using fossil-based gas as raw material and by analysing whether they can utilise biogas,” the team says. “By constructing biogas producing unit at industrial sites potentially enables development of other biogas applications. Building pipelines to other biogas users, or vehicle uses, are potential options,” they add.

View the original article about using biogas as a chemical industry feedstock here

There is no doubt that using biogas as a chemical industry feedstock will happen, it is merely a matter of time, as non-renewable resources are used up.

ThyssenKrupp Nirosta Discusses Stainless Steel Tanks for Anaerobic Digestion Plants

2012-01-08T03:20:00.000-08:00

I for one think of stainess steel as a premium cost material and have not considered it likely to be a cost-effective material for a large commerical biogas tank, and yet in the article that follows it is clear that this material is being used for biogas plants, and reportedly, very successfully. We have included much of the article below, but please also visit the original website.

In Szeged, around an hour south of Budapest, Weltec Biopower is currently building an ultramodern biogas plant with stainless steel from ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. The 1-megawatt facility, comprising two combined heat and power plants with an output of 600 kW/h each, will go into operation at the end of 2011. The organic waste substrate will be supplied by local farmers, who in return will use the digestate left over from the anaerobic digestion /biogasproduction process as fertilizer on their fields. The generated heat will be used to heat offices in Szeged.

At the heart of the plant are two stainless steel digesters. In addition, an external stainless steel gas storage tank with a capacity of 650 cubic meters will be installed on the site. The aim is to take advantage of electricity prices, which are twice as high during the daytime. The biogas will therefore be collected in the digester tank and the external gas tank at night and the two CHP modules will run under full load in the day time.

The two 3,000 cubic meter digesters are sealed with a double membrane roof, which means that each digester also has an additional gas buffer capacity of 1,016 cubic meters. Animal waste and energy crops are used as a substrate, with special bacteria being used for the fermenting process. During biogas production, waste products such as sulfur and ammonia are also formed. "These substances are very corrosive, placing high demands on the material for the digesters. That's why we use stainless steel exclusively for our plants," says Hajo Schierhold, head of sales and marketing at Weltec Biopower, whose sole supplier of stainless steel is ThyssenKrupp Nirosta.

In the past ten years ThyssenKrupp Nirosta has supplied around 1,500 tons of material for various projects carried out by the Vechta-based plant builder. Depending on the loading, different stainless steel grades are used, e.g. for the tank walls in contact with the liquid or gas. "The majority of our deliveries have been our standard sheet steel Nirosta 4301 specially optimized for these applications," says Martin Stöckl from the ThyssenKrupp Nirosta sales team.

"What's particularly important for us is the cold-worked condition, 2H. This means thinner steel can be used to build the digesters without any loss of stability. It also means a significant cost saving". Another advantage is the extremely smooth surface. "The dense surface of Nirosta 4301 2H gives aggressive substances no opportunity to attack the material," says Weltec Biopower sales chief Schierhold. "Bacteria have no chance to take hold, so corrosion is nipped in the bud, which is an important factor for longevity and efficiency."

View the original article here

Shale Gas - Rising Industry to Destroy Renewable Energy Sector Growth?

2012-01-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

Despite the enormously damaging effects of "fracking", otherwise known as hydraulic fracturing, on the environment and the prediction of 100,000 plus new wells being needed over the next 20 plus years, to extract it. Shale Gas is emerging as the potential supplier of 40% or more of all domestic natural gas within 25 years.

Already, there have been decisions made in the US to stop Anaerobic Digestion projects based upon energy crop production which would have taken the AD industry to a whole new level of scale in at least one of the "bread basket" states of the US. These projects won't go ahead as they see the vast US gas reserves in Shale as reducing natural gas prices significantly.

Shale Gas has been found in Lancashire in the UK, and if other nations, notably the US, is developing these reserves it will be hard to stop them in the UK and Europe as we will need to continue to compete with the US economically.

Energy pundits are starting to view the Shale Gas discoveries made recently as game changers, and as these sources leak methane to atmosphere, there is a cance that they may be seen as a lesser evil from a climate change perspective than might at first glance seem possible.

The following is a quotation from an article titled: "Shale gas - Time to look Before We Leap Further". (Click here to read the full article.)

Shale gas is a game-changer for global energy supply. It is already transforming the U.S. energy outlook, and is expected to deliver over 40% of domestic gas production by 2025 (Figure 1). Other countries and regions, notably Europe and China, may soon follow suit, in a repeat of the early 20th century oil rush.

Opinion is bitterly divided, however, over the environmental risks and benefits of this abundant new source of energy – so much so, that the different sides struggle to agree even on basic facts. The debate is raging over two key issues – on-the-ground impacts to water, air, communities, land use, wildlife, and habitats; and the broader energy and global warming implications of developing shale gas.

Attention so far has focused on the local impacts of shale gas extraction through the rock-blasting process known as hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”). The Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board Subcommittee on Shale Gas Production has warned that “disciplined attention must be devoted to reducing the environmental impact” of shale gas development in the face of its expected continued rapid growth, with as many as 100,000 more wells expected over the next few decades.

The direct impact of shale gas on global warming is another bone of contention. While the combustion of natural gas results in less carbon dioxide emissions than combustion of coal per Btu, the production and distribution of natural gas also causes leakage of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This increases the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of shale gas, reducing the global warming benefits compared to coal.

In addition, a comparison that simply replaces coal with gas in electricity generation ignores the broader greenhouse gas implications of the shale gas phenomenon. One particular concern that policy makers should focus on is the potential impact of the shale gas boom on the renewable energy industry. Unless the federal government sets a price on carbon, the growing U.S. reliance on natural gas could squeeze out zero emission energy sources like wind and solar power. This could in turn undermine, and increase the cost of, U.S. efforts to address climate change.

New 2012 Edition of the "Introduction to Waste Technologies" eBook Out Now!

2012-01-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

New services and products are constantly coming on the web. It's tricky to keep abreast of them all. We get tired of the continuous notices for fresh products, usually just stop focusing on them. Since there's so very little of value in the majority of offers thrown at us, we become calloused and uninterested in them, usually just dismiss them all. Often this works O.K.

Occasionally though, there can be exceptions...

You can find real nuggets in-between those junk offers. For instance, there is an ebook which has just been updated for 2012, in the waste technology and Mechanical Biological Treatment ( MBT ) class, named "An Introduction to Waste Technology" that shows a lot of value for those seeking tounderstand what happens to their rubbish after it leaves their properties.

It has been dreamed-up and developed by Steve Last, who's now offering it for sale.

So let me know, why is it getting attention and gaining a following?

Talking generally, what it's been doing alerady is continuously selling more copies since it was last updated in 2008.

You'll find 3 unique strengths that make "An Introduction to Waste Technology" stand out from its competition, 3 principal positive aspects that buyers mention in their many testimonials. These 3 serious advantages are clear and concise summaries of each one of the main the waste technology and processes used to direct waste away from landfill.

The first is an author who knows his subject and waste treatment process.

2nd are the flow charts, and

3rd are the tables of advantages and drawbacks for each waste technology described.

See the sales page for secure payment at PayLoadz here.

See the fuller review at:

A review of the New 2012 Edition of the "Introduction to Waste Technologies" eBook

French Biogas Injection Stations Move Foward as GrDF Selects Contractor To Provide Them

2011-12-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

ESSEN, Germany, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Elster (NYSE: ELT) announced today that Gaz reseau Distribution France (GrDF), the main gas utility in France and wholly-owned subsidiary of GdF Suez that manages the longest natural gas distribution network in Europe, has selected Elster as the sole supplier to establish at least five biogas injection stations throughout the country. The first station will be delivered in the first quarter of 2012.

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Here is our quoted section form the original article:

The two-year agreement calls for the stations to measure the quality of biogas and inject it into GrDF's natural gas grid after it is processed by the producer through purification stations. Each station will be equipped with two Elster EnCal 3000 high-end process gas chromatographs, Elster rotary or turbine gas meters, electronic volume correctors and odorizing devices. All of the stations will be assembled in France by Elster.

Following the first tests of injections into GrDF's gas grid in Lille last July, this initiative marks the starting point of a new era for GrDF's natural gas grid. To enable use of this renewable energy source, the source biogas first needs to be cleaned and transformed into biomethane, which has the same quality and energy characteristics as natural gas.

The Elster stations will allow GrDF to assure the precise volume and quality of biomethane it injects into the grid.

"Biomethane is an important strategic priority for France and a real stake for GrDF as part of the overall effort to develop cleaner, renewable energy sources," said Cedric Aubry, head of biogas projects at GrDF.

"Elster has worked with GrDF for more than 60 years, deploying both residential and commercial and industrial measurement applications, and recently piloted its residential automated meter reading system," said Michael Calovini, executive vice president of Elster's international gas business.

"We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with GrDF as the utility continues developing its innovative approach to managing natural resources and integrating renewable energy sources," Calovini added.

About Elster

Elster (NYSE: ELT) is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced smart metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services – key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Its products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets.

Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.

For more information about Elster, please visit www.elster.com.

View the original article here

Japanese Toilet Manufacturer Bio-gas Bike Ride A Big Success

2011-12-18T00:31:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest visitor traffic jumps we have ever experienced in the four years in which we have been running this blog occurred when we featured Toilet Maker TOTO's publicity campaign. No doubt many others who featured the story saw public interest peak. It certainly was a very effective campaign at raising awareness of biogas and anaerobic digestion in Japan, and must have been a welcome light relief from all the tragic and weighty events which JAPAN HAS HAD TO DEALWITYH SINCE THE AERTHQUAKE EARLIER THIS YEAR.

At one stage at the peak of the campiagn, our blog was receiving over 1,000 vists per hour according to Google's statistics!

So, we cannot help saying that "Toilet maker is flushed with success after bio-gas bike ride!!

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Here is a quote from a recent article about the campiagn:

It's named Neo - part motorcycle, part toilet. Neo runs on eco-friendly biogas. Toto, the toilet company that created Neo, says the biogas that powers the bike was produced from sewage but is quick to point out that the rider does not not contribute to its supply. According to spokesman Kenji Fujita, it's a combination of livestock waste and household sewage, broken down and fermented to create fuel.

"The motorcycle carries two tanks which allow it to run for a total of 300 km at a speed of up to 70 km/h. It's a surprisingly nice way to travel." The toilet bike toured more then 1400 kilometers across Japan in an effort to promote the use of biogas. With a toilet for a seat and a giant role of toilet paper mounted on the rear, Ichie Tanaka, one of six volunteers who rode the bike says Neo definitely attracted attention.

"At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback, but after riding the motorcycle, I found it quite interesting. It doesn't hurt at all and it's actually quite comfortable to sit on." Toto says while Neo may not run on human waste, it hopes future models will. The company says recycling human waste is a practical solution to the environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels.

The company believes it has come a long way toward achieving awareness about the use of biogas. Ichie Tanaka says she's is happy and relieved the journey is over. She says that while the bike was a pleasure to ride, after three long weeks - she is just plain pooped. Ben Gruber, Reuters.

Biogas is one of many forms of alternative energies being promoted as the way of the future, but no one has yet done it in the style of Japanese toilet manufacturer, Toto. The company has created a stir with what it calls its Toilet Bike Neo, a motorcycle that runs on biogas and looks like a toilet on wheels. Ben Gruber reported. ( Transcript )

View the original article here

Bogas Plant Accident in Austria

2011-12-17T04:49:00.000-08:00

At this blog we have recently had reason to question the UK industry's questionable practises by Biogas Plant installation and maintenance Contractors, and the Client's who appoint them, both of which have been seen to be less than perfect in the manner in which they are treating health and safety on Biogas Plant Sites.

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(Please don't expect to see any safety problems in this video - we simply thought you might like to see some good examples of biogas plants.)

Here we have another example. Is this a coincidental occurence or a warning to te industry to tighten its Health and Safety procedures before we see some really nasty accidents?

26. 10. 11. A man from Vienna is recovering after plunging from a factory in Burgenland.
The worker fell off a biogas station in Güssing, well known for its eco-friendly approach to electricity and heating issues this morning (Weds). He was busy removing casing fragments when he slipped and fell, according to radio news. The worker was taken to a clinic in Oberwart by ambulance.

The incident occurred three days after the body of an elderly holidaymaker was discovered at a hotel’s inner courtyard. The man, 62, from Linz in Upper Austria is understood to have lost his balance on the balcony of his room at night before plunging to his death. No one witnessed the incident, police in the Styrian town of Arnfels said on Monday. They said a physician examining the body ruled out foul play.

The number of industrial fatalities decreased by 57 per cent between 1990 and 2010, according to a labour ministry spokesman. The office of Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer said in August that 90 people lost their lives at work last year.

Around 280,000 Austrians sustained injuries doing household chores in the same year, according to insurer Allianz Austria (2000: 230,000). Cuts are most common at 40 per cent, followed by bruises (21 per cent), according to magazine profil which presented the insurance company’s figures.

Austrian Times

Maybe, Austrians need to be more careful when not at work, as well! See our site at www.anaerobic-digestion.com .

View the original article here

Swedish Help Begins a New Era in Which India Will Produce Biogas From Sewage Sludge

2011-12-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is good news for the west and shows that India is becoming a participant in global warming prevention.

The Delhi Jal Board ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Swedish central authority for upgrading its sewage treatment plant at Keshopur, with a capacity of 72 million gallons a day, for the purposes of manufacturing biogas from sewage sludge. The 2 year pilot project, first of it's type in India, suggests to utilize the sludge produced in the sewage treatment process and change it to compressed biogas that'd be entirely compatible with Delhi's grid of Compressed Natural Gas ( CNG ).

The DJB will then use the gas to fuel over 120 DTC buses at the Keshopur filling station. We understand that DJB is a stakeholder / financier in the project, providing land and gas for the project.

We are going to consider commercial sales later on dependent on the successfulness of this pilot project," DJB's chief engineer for the project. For the upgrade and distribution of biogas, a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) will be signed on Wed. between the DJB, Indraprastha Gas Limited and Swedish company KG Renewables L.T.D , in the shadow Delhi Chief Secretary P K Tripathi and Swedish envoy Lars-Olof Lindgren. The Keshopur STP will ne able to produce up to 25,000 cubic metre of the newable fuel/ gas each day.

Here is a quote from the news item:

"The signing of the MoU is supported by the Government of Sweden and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, in line with the Indo-Swedish MoU on renewable energy. It is an innovative way to achieve energy conservation" DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said.

"The new technology will upgrade biogas to the highest-quality CNG, and will ensure minimal leakage of methane. It will also contribute to environment conservation by reducing 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year," a DJB official said.

Biogas is produced through the process of Anaerobic Digestion.

Be sure to visit the original website to View the original article here

Renewables Have No Prospect of Becoming Economically Competitive

2011-12-15T05:05:00.000-08:00


Renewable Energy has no prospect?

Believe it or not, that headline is a direct quote from a new report from the right wing Adam Smith Institute, titled "Renewable Energy: Vision or Mirage?" which was published on December 12.

The Edie.net web site has picked up on this report. I include a portion of their article as a quote below, but for the full text you should visit their web site:

The report has been criticised by the renewables industry as the 'same little clique of people repeating the same tired old arguments'.

According to the report the government's focus on renewable energy sources is misguided and unrealistic.

As these technologies cannot provide the secure energy supply the country needs and could potentially lead to an energy crisis by the middle of this decade.

The report concludes the 'official enthusiasm' for renewables has more to do with the 'power of the green lobby'.

Joint author Martin Livermore: said: "For too long, we have been told heavy investment in uneconomic renewable energy was not only necessary but would provide a secure future electricity supply.

"The facts actually show that current renewables technologies are incapable of making a major contribution to energy security and - despite claims to the contrary - have only limited potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

"It seems ministers have not yet realised the need to invest in more nuclear and gas generating capacity if the electorate is not to be badly let down." "

It is of course hard to contest that nuclear and gas are the most viable energy sources for base load electricity demand for the near future.

Renewable sources are "orders of magnitude" smaller, and the shear numbers of facilities needed will take time to gather investment funds, build, and train the owners in operating. So, governments should not be distracted from pushing forward with the next generation of nuclear and gas installations, nor take their attention away from those just because renewables might seem attractive.

A quick look around the web and you will find that the opposing view to that made in the Adam Smith Institute report is well made on blogs such as the Maritime Journal where they announce that the anti-renewables report is "slammed" and quote s follows:

Dr Gordon Edge, director of policy at RenewableUK said: “This report is simply another example of the same little clique of people repeating the same tired old arguments against renewable energy, regardless of the facts. Their report cannot be seen as an impartial piece of research - it was written by anti-renewables campaigners.”
The report even goes so far as to suggest that the UK generates electricity by importing vast quantities of expensive fossil fuels from abroad, rather than utilising the free and abundant low carbon source of wind energy that it has at its disposal.
This is because renewable energy sources "only produce power intermittently so they can’t replace gas, coal or nuclear."
RenewableUK has hit back that wind turbines generate electricity 80-85% of the time and that it’s not that the gas industry needs a more viable back-up, it needs wind energy to supplement it and deal with demand.

So far the Anaerobic Digestion Community seems not to have risen to the bait, to counter this report.

A quick internet search revealed no that there are no responses online today which defend Anaerobic Digestion. That is surprising as so much of the case made by the anti-renewables lobby is about the lack of availability of other competitor renewable energy sources wind and solar when there is no wind and the sun isn't shining.

Anaerobic digestion is so different and much better. It will always win over those renewable sources precisely when neither solar nor wind power will deliver. That's during those very cold windless winter nights (and cloudy overcast days) which are exactly those times when peak power demands will require every power station in the land to be belting out power as fast as they can go!

That's how anaerobic digestion power generation earns its strategic "weight in gold" allowing the community to avoid building power stations which will only ever be needed on those peak demand days. Providing power for those coldest days, risks having to keep open old fossil fuel power stations which don't run for the rest of the year, at a huge cost for the power they do create.

So, if you would like to make the case for anaerobic digestion. If you don't agree that "renewables have no prospect of becoming economically competitive". Don't forget that we have a comments facility below (click through to the "posts page if you can't see the comments form) for you to comment and air your views. Or, if you know of a web site where anaerobic digestion has been defended please add that link to your comment.

PURPA Plus Can Be The Biogas Friendly Bill For The US?

2011-12-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

PURPA Plus bill permits states to make their own calls about eco-friendly energy. Since the US's General Public Application Regulatory Act was passed in 1978, power resources have been needed to pay an "avoided cost" rate to particular kinds of tiny power production, cogeneration facilities and other kinds of qualifying facilities.

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That rate is generally the price of the least expensive sort of power the use has in its portfoliousually coaland that could be a price with which little renewable power suppliers can't compete. More than twenty years after, PURPA is doing something it wasn't intended forlimiting individual states' capability to make their own choices about incentivizing little distributed clean energy.

A new bill introduced in the Senate Energy & Resources Board nonetheless, could change that. PURPA And , which is meant to inspire distributed generation of eco-friendly energy, would take away the evaded cost limitation and let states set their own costs, according to Patrick Serfass, manager of the North American Biogas Council.

In numerous cases, PURPA makes micro-scale green energy generation unfeasible. As an example, if a biogas producer has to turn on his facility's lights or use power for something else, he is doubtless paying a retail rate, Serfass says.

"If he's selling any power back, he's getting a little fragment of that rate, so he isn't even getting paid the same rate he is being charged. Mostly, they just need to pay you for the price of avoiding an identical quantity of electricity from coal."

PURPA Plus is a route for states to raise that price to incentivize distributed replaceable electricity generation.

"Generally in the energy industry it makes the most sense to supply your own electricity where you want it as it costs cash to move it some place," Serfass explains. "If you have got a hereabouts available resource, and folks who want energy regionally, why not produce and use it there? That is where distributed generation comes in.

If states need to inspire that, not only will it create business for those firms and roles, but also increases the quantity of electricity the state produces with no need to upgrade transmission systems." The most significant element of PURPA And is that it permits states a choice, and it's at no charge to taxpayers.

Serfass says.

“It’s a gateway for states to create more incentives, one of which could be a feed-in tariff. That would allow biogas projects to compete with other traditional energy sources on a level playing field.”

Though it’s less of a priority, the ABC would like to see PURPA Plus tweaked so that the cap is raised from 2 to 5 megawatts..

“Over half of current biogas projects are less than that, but a lot of larger projects in the works are between two and five,” Serfass says. “A slightly larger project could have a big impact on the industry.”

The ABC is urging its members to write their senators to request support of the bill.

“With the current Congress being focused on cutting our federal budget and reducing costs everywhere, this bill is important because it doesn’t cost taxpayers any money,”

Serfass reiterates.

“It’s a really valuable piece of legislation.”

View the original article here

Low US Energy Prices Likely to Kill Biogas Project

2011-12-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

I was amazed to read this article, which is quoted below. "Low energy prices" - do these people live on the same planet as the rest of us? This would have been an exceeding forward thinking and imaginative scheme.

An eagerly anticipated feasibility study on Cayuga County’s biogas pipeline concept has not yet been published, but it appears that economic and political factors may lead some interested farmers in another direction.

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The current proposal, for a county-built pipeline connecting several large farms with the county’s industrial park in Aurelius, is the latest iteration of an idea that’s been in the works for about a decade.

The thinking of the farmers and their public and private partners has evolved with the vagaries of energy markets, politics and public opinion, with the fluctuating price of natural gas being perhaps the biggest variable.

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From the 1970s until the turn of the century, the cost of natural gas stayed near $2 for 1,000 cubic feet. But beginning in 2000, it started on a steady rise, hitting a high of $10.79 in July 2008.

For investors, the calculus was simple: as traditional energy prices continued to rise, it became more and more appealing to explore alternative energy sources, biomethane gas first among them.

In the last three years, however, those historic high gas prices have fallen back to Earth, trading at $3.82 this September.

The lower the natural gas prices, the less incentive to find an alternative-energy replacement, something Spruce Haven Farm owner Doug Young acknowledged in an interview last week.

“Low energy prices are the reason this (pipeline) is probably not going to happen,” he said. “A few years ago the energy prices were high and people were very concerned about climate change. Since they’ve found these huge reserves of natural gas and are tapping into them and it looks like the U.S. has a long-term supply of fossil fuel, it looks like it took the pressure off.”

That price swing complicated two previous efforts to get the pipeline built with public and private funding.

In 2006, Long Island energy development company Global Common received a $1 million grant from NYSERDA for a cooperative project with Spruce Haven and Oakwood farms, two of the county’s largest dairies.

In the grant application, Global Common CEO Robert Foxen described a $17 million project to develop a centralized anaerobic digester at Oakwood, converting manure from four farms into biogas liquid fertilizer , liquid fertilizer and solids usable for bedding.

Foxen predicted 125 new full-time jobs, $75 million in construction and an increase in milk sales from $22 million a year to $67 million a year, the result of tripling the cow population at the participating farms to 21,000.

The digester was to have generated about five megawatts of electricity at start-up and up to 15 megawatts over the next 20 years, to be sold back into the grid through a long-term purchase agreement.

Of the $1 million, Global Common collected $100,000 for meeting preliminary planning goals, but never moved forward with the project.

For one thing, the two other farms that were to join Spruce Haven and Oakwood never materialized, according to Thomas Siesinger, the project manager with NYSERDA.

“We’re not really pushing that because the farms aren’t pushing it and want to go another way,” Siesinger said. “That money is still on the table (but) I guess I’d be surprised if they went back to the two-farm proposal or even the pipeline one.”

Young, the project leader, said he believed the remaining $900,000 from NYSERDA is no longer available.

Global Common is no longer intimately involved in the pipeline planning but could still have an interest in marketing the gas if anything ever gets built.

“There has been discussion of what their role could be in the project,” said Kelly O’Hara of Oakwood. “Really, (Foxen) is just willing to do whatever makes sense and helps. ... It’s a whole different realm from dairy farming.”

Foxen declined to comment on the NYSERDA grant or Global Common’s involvement with the pipeline, saying he was no longer up to date on the project.

Two years after granting $1 million to Global Common, NYSERDA heard another pitch for funding related to the pipeline.

This time, the solicitor was NYSEG, which has held informal discussions with the farmers over the years concerning the distribution and sale of whatever power may be generated.

In a 2008 presentation -- just when natural gas prices were at a record high -- a NYSEG representative told NYSERDA that the company was negotiating a gas purchase agreement with the farmers, known collectively as Cayuga Renewable Energy.

He detailed a two-fold project: first, the farmers would design and build on-site digesters at a combined (private) cost of about $13.5 million.

Second, the biogas would be cleaned and delivered via a pipeline to a NYSEG metering station, from where it would go into Auburn’s distribution system.

NYSEG requested $500,000 in funding for the second part only, part of what it estimated would be a $1.65 million project.

That state funding never materialized, largely because NYSEG cooled on the idea.

“For a variety of reasons, including the economic downturn and a reduction in the market price of natural gas, the project did not move forward,” company spokesman Clayton Ellis wrote in an email.

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In the short term, the decision on the project’s progress rests with the county Legislature, which is awaiting the results of a feasibility study.

County Planning Director Stephen Lynch originally forecast that the first part of the $125,000 study would be public by the end of October.

That release has been delayed by a recent ruling from the state Public Service Commission that could change how farmers use their energy output.

Until this summer, the amount of electricity farmers could sell back to a utility company was limited by their usage at the meter to which the generator is hooked up.

The problem is that large farms can have as many as 20 different meters. The new state ruling issued this summer, and a new law passed by the state Legislature, allow farmers to combine their usage on all meters, a concept known as remote net metering.

The bottom line is that farms will be able to sell back much more electricity, with the possible consequence that they will no longer need a pipeline to get rid of excess energy.

Lynch said the supply side of the equation -- how much gas the farms can generate -- is more significant than the question of demand or natural gas prices.

“If the supply isn’t there, the gas price is a moot point,” he said.

The Legislature voted in July to spend up to $49,000 on the study and associated legal fees, but the county has spent almost none of that money so far by using state funds first, Lynch said.

O’Hara said he believed the pipeline has been the victim of unfair negative publicity and encouraged the county “to get out and do some PR work and make people understand that this is collecting energy that would essentially be wasted.”

“We don’t need this -- we’ll continue operating our farms the same way,” he said. “It’s just an opportunity for the county to attract some new industry. ... I think overall the level of interest (among farmers) is the same, but the economics of it is that it will either make sense or it won’t.”

Has anyone thought about phoshpate reserves? If chemical fertilizers will continue to be used then someone should be conisdering for how long phosphate sources will continue to be available at current prices...

View the original article here

Bore Hill Farm Biodigester - Rural Property Developer to Open New Wiltshire AD Plant

2011-12-07T02:48:00.000-08:00

More good news of another new AD Plant project:

A Wiltshire-based rural property developer is diversifying into renewables, with plans to open its first anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at Warminster next year.

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Malaby Biogas, sister company of Malaby Martin Ltd, which has specialised in rural redevelopment for over 10 years, will begin commissioning the £5 million Bore Hill Farm Biodigester in the second quarter of 2012.

It will be Wiltshire’s first commercial AD plant and will be capable of processing up to 20,000 tonnes of commercial food waste and generating 500 kilowatts of green energy, the company said. The renewable energy will be fed into the National Grid, but will also supply nine business units set to open on the site in 2013, thereby creating jobs and offering low cost heat and power to commercial users.

"There is growing pressure on businesses in the food sector to dispose of their waste in a far more responsible and efficient manner than simply sending it to landfill," said Thomas Minter, director at Malaby Biogas, who added that by using local labour and British skills, Malaby was able to provide "real benefit in tough economic times."

In addition, Bore Hill Farm Biodigester will produce 15,000 tonnes of digestate which to be sold to farmers for agricultural use, as an alternative to traditional fertilizer.

View the original article here

Poor Anaerobic Digestion Industry Safety Standards Criticised by Long Established Contractor

2011-12-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Strong Criticism has been given of Anaerobic Digestion Industry Safety Standards for Its Workforce by respected industry insider Landia.

The experienced process industry supplier Landia feels so strongly about a lack of Biogas safety within the biogas industry, so much so that it has issued a press release on the subject. "Standards demand attention" – say Landia.

Pain like this and far worse will be the harsh reality for Anaerobic Digestion plant workers and management if the young industry does not pay more attention to safety on its sites.

Landia says it and several other established pump and mixer manufacturers are seriously concerned about health and safety at biogas plants, which they claim range from excellent to poor, to non-existent.

To date in the UK it is fortunate that there has (as far as we know) only been one biogas fatality, when a 29-year-old man was overcome by methane fumes at a farm anaerobic digester unit, but according to Landia, the thirst of the young industry to grow and become profitable has moved far faster than basic health and safety regulations.

“Our experience at some sites, quite frankly, has been a joke”

, states Landia’s Paul Davies.

“Recently we were asked to work up 8-metre ladders with large drills, which we explained we couldn’t and wouldn’t even consider doing because it’s totally unsafe – and is of course against all health and safety laws and Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. It wasn’t that the customer was trying to cut corners; they simply didn’t know. Maybe this is to be expected in a young industry? – but if that’s the case there needs to be some immediate training and education”.

Davies points to Landia’s 97% pass rate for UVDB VERIFY Approval, but says this exacting standard, which covers all areas of Health & Safety, Quality and Environment, Management Systems and On-Site actions, isn’t recognised by the AD industry. He says that promotion and direction from trade associations needs to be significantly improved, with a minimum standard implemented very soon.

Landia’s UK & Eire Director Hugh Vaughan said:

“This isn’t just another ‘what if’, or one of those ‘perish the thought’ plugs for safety or insurance. What Landia have witnessed both in the UK and abroad is frightening. So far it’s just pure good fortune that serious accidents haven’t happened”.
He continued: “Apart from shouting out a suitable four-letter warning or such like, there isn’t much you can say when, with your own eyes, you see somebody perched on the edge of a high top rail of a tank whilst he’s unclipping a membrane cover that happens to be partially inflated. Or young workmen walking over the top of a partially unclipped membrane when the digester is full!

“Don’t take a chance. Consider the consequences before placing that biogas order, and make sure those you’ve chosen to work with a company that has a proper understanding of how a biogas plant works, how to maintain it, and how to do it safely”.

Read more at Landia's web site, click here.

Is it possible that Farming Industry and other AD Plant clients are not aware of their responsibilities for Health and Safety in the way in which other industries are? Managers and indeed anyone commisioning contractors to come onto the site of an Anaerobic Digestion Plant within all small businesses are responsible for ensuring that they provide all necessary H&S information to the Contractor. They must also ensure that their appointed contractors have demonstrated to them their competence for carrying out such works safely, before they award work to them.

This should include providing a Method Statement and Working Methods for the work to be done, and which must include DSEAR Compliance where any explosion risk is also potentially present. For DSEAR advice contact info@anaerobic-digestion.com and ask for DSEAR compliance information for AD Plants.

Teesside Anaerobic Digestion Go Ahead Announced Under UK Regional Growth Fund Funding

2011-12-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

The UK Government has signed off seven more Regional Growth Fund deals helping two waste energy projects to get going along with a factory scheme and science park, including one Anaerobic Digestion Plant.

Here is the news item:

INTRODUCTION

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced a further two bidding rounds for cash after the Chancellor revealed plans to set aside a further £1bn pot of cash to create jobs.

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Cities will be encouraged to put forward innovative programmes and packages of projects in future rounds.

Clegg said: “This additional billion pound boost for British businesses means the Regional Growth Fund will create an estimated half a million jobs before the end of this parliament.

“With this targeted support for companies we’re unlocking private sector investment, with at least £5 put in for every £1 of public money.

The Regional Growth Fund was launched in October 2010.

So far it has allocated £1.4bn through two bidding rounds. There were 50 successful projects in the first round sharing £450m. More than 50% of the projects from the first round are already up and running.

In the second round, 119 bids received conditional allocations of funding, with a further 10 requiring further discussion.

Of these 10, seven have funding conditionally allocated to them, increasing the number of bids receiving a share of £950m to 126, and the total of new and existing jobs supported to 244,000.

Of the 244,000 jobs created or protected, around 38,000 will be directly created jobs, and more than 170,000 will be in the supply chain.

AND THE AD PLANT IS:

A BF Biogas Limited Project to build an anaerobic digestion plant in Teesside, converting food and garden waste into biogas for power generation.

View the original article here

ADBA National Conference 2011 - Final Booking Days

2011-11-30T06:50:00.000-08:00

Just to let you know that you've not much time left to book this conference, by the ADBA.

The ADBA National Conference 2011, will be held in London on the 14th December. It will give attendees the chance to learn about and have their say, on the state of the UK Anaerobic Digestion industry.

The conference organisers have posed the following questions to all those interested in Anaerobic Digestion:

Do you want to build an AD plant?
Do you want to understand where the AD industry is headed and how fast?
Or,
Would you like to raise your biggest issues directly to the Minister, the regulators or the food, waste, farming, transport and finance sectors?
Do you have strong views on the role of standards in the AD industry?
If any of these apply to you then this is your chance to address them and make your voice heard, by interacting directly with Government and high profile experts from across the anaerobic digestion sector at AD’s biggest conference of the year.

If so, they say that their conference is for you, but time is short to book so register now.

Who has already booked?
We are informed that as well as a host of AD developers, operators and suppliers, other delegates who will also be attending include Tesco, Defra, Siemens Industry, Anglian Water Group, Suez Environnement, RPS Group and E.On Bioerdgas.

If you want to network and develop new business contacts in the AD industry then book a ticket today!

Key Topics addressed at the even will be:

Is the AD Momentum Building?
Waste Collection, Gate Fees and the Impact of Eric Pickles
Ofwat - OFT Market Study and impact on Water and AD industries
The Role of Standards in the Development of the AD Industry
Delivering a Strategy for Biomethane as a Transport Fuel

As well as debating key issues with our high level expert panelists this event offers a superb opportunity to network with decision makers who have purchasing approval and command large budgets. The organisers also say that:

Also featuring a table-top exhibition and a host of networking opportunities the ADBA National Conference 2011 promises to be a day well spent. If you are involved or interested in the AD and biogas industry then this is an event that cannot be missed. We look forward to seeing you there.

As well as discussing main issues with our high level expert panelists this event offers a fantastic chance to network with call makers who've buying approval and command huge budgets.

Also featuring a table-top exhibition and a bunch of networking opportunities the ADBA Countrywide Meeting 2011 guarantees to be a day spent wisely. If you're concerned or keen on the AD and biogas industry then this is an event that can't be missed.

Click here to visit the ADBA web site for more information and to book your place.

Biogas Upgrading Technologies Markets Analysed - for the Asia Pacific Region

2011-11-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Summary of a new report on Biogas Upgrading: Technologies and Global Markets with a Focus on Asia-Pacific :

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We hope you like the following article. Please visit their website for the full article. The link is provided at the end of this article:

An overview – with a focus on Asia-Pacific – of biogas upgrading with discussion of the advantages of biogas compared to other forms of renewable energy, global greenhouse emissions, and the barriers to large-scale biogas plant deployment Analyses of market trends, with data from 2010, estimates for 2011, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2016 Coverage of the market by upgrading technology type, including pressure swing adsorption, water scrubbing, membrane technology, cryogenic upgrading, and in situ methane enrichment, with a breakdown of market values by technology type Evaluations of feed sources, including sewage sludge, biowaste, landfill gas, and energy crops Examination of the industry structure, with comprehensive company profiles.
Explore comprehensive Table of Contents of this report @ http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/135858-biogas-upgrading-technologies-and-global-markets-focus-on-asia-pacific.html

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Renewable, sustainable energy generation will be the fastest-growing energy sector over the next two decades. From 2010 to 2016, the market is projected to rise from $124 billion in 2010 to $217 billion in 2016. Price volatility, supply concerns, and the environmental aspects of fossil fuels are expected to accelerate the pace of all non-fossil fuel development.

At this writing, the price of oil has hit highs of more than $100 per barrel on the world market, while U.S. drivers are paying nearly $4 per gallon of gasoline. Renewable domestic energy supplies are seen as a means of overcoming these problems. Biogas, a clean fuel derived primarily from waste materials, is an important alternative to conventional fossil energy.

This Biogas upgrading report provides an in-depth analysis of the world market for the biogas upgrading equipment used to transform crude biogas from waste materials and energy crops into sustainable energy. Six types of upgrading systems are reviewed: water scrubbers, pressure swing adsorption systems, physical absorption and chemical absorption units, membrane systems, and units based on cryogenic technology

Four categories of materials are evaluated as feed sources for biomethane production: municipal wastewater (sewage sludge), agricultural wastes and energy crops (manure, agricultural residuals, and purpose-grown crops), biowaste (industrial organic wastes and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste), and landfill gas. Two different end uses for the gas are also examined, injection to the natural gas grid and transportation fuel.

The biogas production and biogas upgrading markets are far better developed in Europe than in North America, so it is the main focus of this study. Germany has, by far, the largest number of upgrading plants, most of which feed into the grid. Sweden ranks second, with the bulk of its facilities purifying biogas for use as vehicle fuel.

So far, North America’s upgrading capacity is primarily based at landfills; little new capacity has been built over the past decade. Although Asia has the largest number of biogas generating systems, the vast majority of these are small-scale plants that serve single dwellings or small communities. In the rest of the world, biogas production is at different stages of development; however, gas upgrading is only just emerging.

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

The need to responsibly dispose of mounting volumes of waste and the requirement to procure sustainable, secure energy supplies are two of the most important issues facing governments and industries around the globe. The production of energy from a number of waste streams (i.e., municipal and domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, landfills, livestock manure, and agricultural residues) is a process that addresses both of these challenges.

In the current waste-to-energy market, anaerobic digestion offers a sustainable conversion process. With the addition of a biogas refining step, the waste-derived gas can be used in all applications where conventional natural gas is used. In this context, it is important to have an overview of the market and the drivers that support adoption of the best strategies by governments responsible for sustainable waste handling and energy supply solutions. It is also important for industry players and technology developers to understand current as well as future trends in order to strategize their investments.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This study intended to be useful to a broad audience. Because they stand to see the greatest profit from expansion of the biogas industry, manufacturers and suppliers of biogas upgrading equipment and providers of upgrading technology would likely benefit the most from the data contained in this study. Companies with plant components, ancillary equipment, and related products also might profit from the information collected here.

These include manufacturers and suppliers of anaerobic digesters and digester technology, biogas distributors, water and power
engineering firms, suppliers of power plants and electricity generating equipment, environmental management firms, companies specializing in anaerobic digestion equipment and other water and wastewater treatment equipment, companies developing additives (chemicals, enzymes, etc.) to enhance gas production yields and process efficiencies.

Other beneficiaries of biogas upgrading that might find this study of value are farmers, participants in the food industry, waste processors, transportation sector players, and project developers and investors.

SCOPE OF REPORT

The scope of this report is the global market for biogas upgrading equipment. Market value and growth is evaluated for six different types of upgrading systems: water scrubbing, pressure swing adsorption, physical absorption, chemical absorption, membrane separation, and cryogenic technology.

The market is broken down by four different feed sources: municipal and domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, landfill gas, and agricultural wastes, a category that includes animal manures and crop residues. Additionally, the market is examined according to end use, injection into the gas grid and transportation fuel.

A discussion of the market by world region includes overviews of North America, Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world, with individual profiles for countries most active in each region. Present market status, biogas upgrading plant installations, and policies and incentives that support the industry are given for each country. All market valuations and projections cover the years from 2000 to 2016.

Market figures are based on the revenues derived from equipment sales and are projected in 2011 constant dollars (i.e., inflation is not computed into the projection figures). The revenue figures are derived from estimated revenues of the key players in a particular year.

A technology overview, a discussion on the structure of the industry, and brief profiles for major participating companies are included. The machinery used to transform the gas to electricity: reciprocating and other types of gas engines, turbine and microturbines, and fuel cells, is not included in the analysis.

Inquire before buying or Request a Sample of the report 'Biogas Upgrading: Technologies and Global Markets (Focus on Asia-Pacific)' @ http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/135858-biogas-upgrading
-technologies-and-global-markets-focus-on-asia-pacific.html

View the original article here

Business Briefs - Biomass Power and Thermal

2011-11-24T00:26:00.000-08:00

We hope you like the following roundup, (or should we say mash-up nowadays?) from Biomass Power and Thermal:

New Dealer for Continental Biomass Industries
Continental Biomass Industries Inc., a manufacturer of portable and stationary biomass processing and recycling systems, has announced that McCourt & Sons Equipment Inc. is an exclusive dealer for CBI’s product line and will provide equipment, parts and service for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Established in 1997 and family owned and operated, McCourt & Sons has more than 65 years of combined industry experience.

Madison college receives grantfrom Thermo Fisher Scientific
Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received a $10,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inspire Grant to support student participation in Renewable Energy for International Development. The course, which is offered through Madison College and the Consortium for Renewable Energy Technology, examines energy and economics in developing countries with special consideration to renewable energy sources. The class combines eight weeks of online instruction with 10 days of study and hands-on work in Costa Rica. Students design and install working renewable energy systems that can be applied in developing countries. The Inspire Grant provides six $1,500 scholarships, as well as a $1,000 stipend that will be given to a program participant from Costa Rica to offset their expenses to attend related workshops in Madison.

GE introduces gas engine for small biogas projects

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Please note that the video shows GE Jenbacher equipment, but is inluded as the closest model to the new Waukesha for which a video appeared to be available from GE.

Expanding the company’s lineup of biogas engines for a wider range of power outputs, GE has introduced its Waukesha 1-megawatt APG1000 gas engine that can utilize a broader variety of biogases, including from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and agricultural waste. The Waukesha unit’s expanded biogas capabilities are the result of an 18-month redesign and testing initiative that includes modifications to the combustion chamber, a new spark plug design, and a new fuel control system that simplifies engine start-up and operation. For example, the engine’s greater fuel tolerances allow it to handle fluctuations in the thermal quality of the biogas with little or no manual intervention. These modifications address the unique operational challenges of using biogases and were validated at both landfill and digester biogas-to-energy project sites.

Blythe takes over at B&W Mechanical Handling
Andy Blythe was appointed managing director of U.K.-based B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd. He joined the company in early May succeeding Andrew Mitchell, who is focusing on his own consulting business but will maintain strong links with B&W. Blythe brings his vast experience in aggregates, minerals and the bulk handling industry with a proven track record in business expansion and strategic development. With B&W, Blythe’s initial focus is to improve the strong presence in the ports and terminals sector as well as expand into other high-end markets that need the same technologies.

Reliable Renewables joins CEA
Consumer Energy Alliance welcomes Reliable Renewables LLC as its newest affiliate member. Reliable Renewables develops owns, and operates modular biomass gasification power plants of 2 to 5 megawatts. The power plants are fueled by agricultural waste, pulp and paper waste, energy crops and refuse-derived fuel. These power plants operate around-the-clock providing a consistent, sustainable flow of renewable energy. The biogas produced can be utilized to generate electricity in a GE Jenbacher, or a similar engine. Alternatively, the biogas can be used to fuel incumbent processes such as kilns, fractionation towers or existing engines and turbines. Fuel cost is reduced or eliminated as the gasification plants are small enough to be located adjacent to biomass supplies.

Nortrax expands Morbark territory into eastern New York
Morbark Inc. has signed an agreement with Nortrax Inc., a Morbark forestry and recycling dealer, to expand its territory to include eastern New York State. The expansion added 10 New York counties to an already established Nortrax northeastern territory of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Nortrax has been a steadfast Morbark dealer for more than 20 years. With excellent product support, as well as an extensive equipment and parts inventory, the expansion of the Nortrax-Morbark partnership into eastern New York state will greatly benefit regional Morbark customers.

Morbark names new president
Morbark Inc., a manufacturer of forestry, sawmill and wood recycling equipment, announced the appointment of James W. Shoemaker Jr. as president. Shoemaker replaces Lon Morey who will remain as the chairman of Morbark’s board of directors. Prior to his appointment, Shoemaker served as Morbark’s vice president of operations and board member. He joined Morbark in 2003 as the manager of operations and has held numerous positions in the company. Prior to joining Morbark, Shoemaker served 25 years with the Jervis B. Webb Co. managing operations, accounting and supply chain.

Bandit Industries receives EPA award
Wood chipper manufacturer Bandit Industries received a National Partnership for Environmental Priorities achievement award from the U.S. EPA. The award was given to the company for efforts in reducing hazardous chemicals in the workplace, specifically with the reduction of mercury. Bandit was one of only three organizations in Michigan to receive the award. Bandit’s proactive replacement of mercury thermostats resulted in approximately three pounds of the dangerous metal being removed from the company grounds. The old thermostats were then securely packaged and sent to a recycling facility. These reductions were achieved as part of the NPEP program, a voluntary reduction program in which companies, municipalities, federal facilities and tribes partner with the EPA to reduce and/or recycle toxic chemicals. The NPEP program also works to identify environmentally preferable alternatives and fosters technology transfer. To date, NPEP partners have been successful in removing more than 40 million pounds of potentially hazardous material.

Rodman named to NECA's Renewables and Distributed Generation committee
Steve Rodman, president of Rodman & Rodman P.C., has been named to the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association's Renewables and Distributed Generation committee. NECA is a nonprofit trade association serving the electric power industry. Its Renewables and Distributed Generation committee is dedicated to increasing awareness of the benefits of renewable/clean energy and to facilitating growth of the industry in the Northeast. Rodman & Rodman is a CPA firm with a dedicated "Green Team" Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Practice, where Rodman is a client adviser and advocate in the provision of expert green energy tax advisory, accounting services, and business strategy for alternative energy producers and investors through all stages of their project and business life cycle. The Green Team offers its services for companies in the biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, landfill gasses, municipal solid waste, hydroelectric and hydrokinetic sectors of the renewable energy industry. They also assist startup projects with the Section 1603 program.

View the original article here

Biogas Plant Approved Near Diss Norfolk But Local Objections Remain

2011-11-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

Campaigners have vowed to launch a judicial review after controversial plans to build a biogas renewable energy plant near their homes were approved. In this article from Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine, it is not clear why the local continue to object. Is this Nymby-ism at play or do they have a specific objection? I suspect that Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine must think not, or the article would contain that information?

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(The video is not linked with the article, but we hope you find it interesting.)

Stephen Gordon, chairman of Kenninghall Parish Council, announced that objectors would not give up their 18-month fight following the decision by Breckland Council's planning committee yesterday.

About 30 residents from the south Norfolk village, near Diss, attended the meeting with placards and protest banners.

Greenshoots Energy Ltd had applied to build an anaerobic digestion unit on land off Garboldisham Road, which would be fuelled with locally grown maize, poultry litter and cattle slurry. The electricity created would be transferred to the National Grid. The plant would be linked to a combined heat and power (CHP) plant just over half a mile away at Crown Milling, off Heath Road, which would use the waste heat generated by the energy plant.

Both applications had been recommended for approval despite opposition from the parish council, North Lopham Parish Council and about 500 residents who had signed a petition.

James Alston, who runs Greenshoots Energy with fellow farmer Robert Gooderham, said creating anaerobic digestors helped farmers maintain the viability of their industry.

View the original article here

European Biogas Injection Moves on as GrDF Selects Elster to Provide Biogas Stations

2011-11-17T03:01:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to be able to provide news on the further development of biogas use in national natural gas supply systems with the following posting.

ESSEN, Germany, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Elster /quotes/zigman/616990/quotes/nls/elt ELT -2.51% announced today that Gaz reseau Distribution France (GrDF), the main gas utility in France and wholly-owned subsidiary of GrDF Suez that manages the longest natural gas distribution network in Europe, has selected Elster as the sole supplier to establish at least five biogas injection stations throughout the country. The first station will be delivered in the first quarter of 2012.

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(Above video creator and GrDF have no connection.)

The two-year agreement calls for the stations to measure the quality of biogas and inject it into GrDF's natural gas grid after it is processed by the producer through purification stations. Each station will be equipped with two Elster EnCal 3000 high-end process gas chromatographs, Elster rotary or turbine gas meters, electronic volume correctors and odorizing devices. All of the stations will be assembled in France by Elster.
Following the first tests of injections into GrDF's gas grid in Lille last July, this initiative marks the starting point of a new era for GrDF's natural gas grid. To enable use of this renewable energy source, the source biogas first needs to be cleaned and transformed into biomethane, which has the same quality and energy characteristics as natural gas.
The Elster stations will allow GrDF to assure the precise volume and quality of biomethane it injects into the grid.
"Biomethane is an important strategic priority for France and a real stake for GrDF as part of the overall effort to develop cleaner, renewable energy sources," said Cedric Aubry, head of biogas projects at GrDF. (Blog master Note: biogas is produced from the Anaerobic digestion process.)
"Elster has worked with GrDF for more than 60 years, deploying both residential and commercial and industrial measurement applications, and recently piloted its residential automated meter reading system," said Michael Calovini, executive vice president of Elster's international gas business.
"We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with GrDF as the utility continues developing its innovative approach to managing natural resources and integrating renewable energy sources," Calovini added.

View the original article here

Do you also see this as a major step forward for the maturing biogas industry? Please comment below. If you don't have time to comment please use the buttons below to Google +1 us, or "like" us on your Facebook page using the buttons below. By doing that you help us to continue to provide this Anaerobic Digestion News service.

Seeking Member Support for Biogas Tax Credit Bill - American Biogas Council

2011-11-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

The American Biogas Council is encouraging its members to help support one of its highest legislative priorities—a bill that would create an investment tax credit for biogas.

Although not yet introduced, the bill is being considered by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis. If passed, it would grant qualifying biogas (anaerobic digestion) projects parity with other renewable energy projects that already qualify for a 30 percent investment tax credit under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986.

The bill defines qualified biogas property as comprising of a system that uses anaerobic digesters or other biological, chemical, thermal or mechanical processes (alone or in combination) to convert biomass into a gas, which consists of not less than 52 percent methane, and captures the gas for use as a fuel.

Besides the tax credit, the bill would also require the government to enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to undertake a study of biogas. The agreement would require NREL to supply a written report to Congress within two years after the date of the enactment of the bill to address multiple issues, such as the quality of biogas and a comparison of biogas to natural gas and the identification of any components of biogas that make it unsuitable for injection into existing natural gas pipelines. Other issues the study would address include methods for obtaining the highest energy content in biogas, including the use of codigestion and identifying the optimal feed mixture, and recommendations for the expansion of biogas production, including an analysis of the extent to which increasing the methane content of biogas would result in its greater use and an analysis of how the expanded use of biogas could help meet the growing energy needs of the U.S.

Patrick Serfass, excutive director of the ABC, said one type of project that would benefit from the tax credit would be one that injects renewable natural gas into the gas pipeline, or uses the biogas to power cars and heavy duty vehicles. "For example, this tax credit will help a dairy farmer who makes biogas from cow manure and then uses it to heat the buildings and power the trucks that deliver the milk," he said. "In another example, it would help a facility that takes food waste from area restaurants and grocery stores, turns their trash into biogas and then injects the renewable natural gas into the pipeline to be used by any natural gas customers."

Serfass said the idea of turning organic waste into usable, renewable biogas, is just taking off in the U.S. and it's something that should be encouraged. "Whether you've got rural farm waste, urban food waste or the sludge filtered out of wastewater, a tax incentive like this will create new jobs with every new project constructed that will put people to work turning garbage into green energy," he added.

The ABC is requesting that members write to their congressional representatives to make them aware of the legislation and urge them to support it. To view a copy of the bill, click here.

View the original article here

Biogas Trike Fueled by Sewage Completes its Journey Across Japan

2011-11-15T05:10:00.000-08:00

Enter the Neo. Part motorcycle and part toilet, it runs on eco-friendly biogas produced from sewage — and recently completed a journey of more than 1,000 km across Japan.

The three-wheeled vehicle, developed by Japanese toilet maker Toto, features a toilet for a seat and has a giant roll of toilet paper mounted on the back that flutters in the breeze as the bike cruises along.

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But there are no plans to put the bike on sale. Toto intends to put it on display.

The biogas used as fuel for the Neo is produced from a combination of household sewage and livestock waste, broken down and fermented, company spokesman Kenji Fujita said.

“Although the seat of the bike is indeed a toilet, it is not for actual use. The fuel is eco-friendly biogas, stored in the tanks on the back,” he said.

“It’s a surprisingly nice way to travel.”

The 837 lb motorcycle can run for a total of 300 km and reach speeds of up to 70 km an hour.

Ichie Tanaka, one of six people who rode the Neo across Japan during the three-week, 1,400 km tour to promote biofuels, said she was relieved the journey was over.

“At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback. But after riding it, I found it quite interesting,” the 28-year-old said.

“It doesn’t hurt at all and is actually quite comfortable to sit on.”

View the original article here

Eco-Tec Biogas Purification Systems Commissioned and Delivering Power

2011-11-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Two state-of-the-art waste processing facilities in Lancashire, England, report quick start-up times and strong levels of performance by newly installed BgPur™ biogas purification systems.

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(The video is not directly relatede to the article - but we thought our readers would find it interesting.)

Designed and manufactured by Canadian-based Eco-Tec Inc., the BgPur units have begun purifying biogas produced at waste treatment facilities in Lancashire, by removing corrosive levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S); in turn, recovering the gas for use in power generation. The first BgPur began operation in July 2011 at the Thornton Waste Facility and the second in November 2011 at the Leyland Waste Facility. Both were designed by international engineering and project-management company AMEC, and are run by waste management and recycling organization Global Renewables.

While the systems are set up to clean H2S at 99% efficiency per site, they have recorded levels beyond 99% and continue to perform consistently since the start ups. "We're happy with the system's performance. In some instances, it has gone beyond the capabilities specified and was also one of the easiest start ups we've experienced so far," said an AMEC representative.

The BgPur systems are playing an essential part in Global Renewables' unique waste-treatment process known as ‘UR-3R' (Urban Resource - Reduce, Recover, Recycle), made up of a combination of some of the world's leading environmental technologies. Through the process, the facilities will treat over 300,000 tonnes per annum of Lancahsire County's household waste while extracting the maximum amount of recyclables from the waste stream and turning the environmentally damaging organic fraction into a high-quality type of compost product called Organic Growth Medium (OGM).

As these organic wastes are digested, Eco-Tec's BgPur purifies the biogas produced through patented, high efficiency gas-liquid contactors. The contactors process 1,100 m3/hr sulphur with a concentration of 5,000 ppmv (parts per million volume) of H2S per site, purifying it to consist of less than 50 ppmv of H2S. In turn, the recovered gas is used as fuel to generate electricity for the parasitic demands of the sites. The net result is 100% recycling, reducing the waste to the landfill by 70%, and reducing the carbon dioxide emission by 1.5 tonnes per tonne of solid waste collected.

"Eco-Tec is proud to play a part in such an innovative, meaningful waste-treatment process. And we're glad to be able to add real value to the market by providing technology that not only lowers our clients' operating costs but is also solving greenhouse gas issues at the same time," says Carmine Fontana, Eco-Tec vice-president, Gas Processing.

About Eco-Tec
Eco-Tec is a globally recognized manufacturer of water purification, gas processing, and chemical recovery systems for industrial operations. Eco-Tec provides proven integrated technologies based on proprietary technologies that offer significant cost reduction, superior process efficiency, and facilitates an environmentally responsible approach to using natural resources. Eco-Tec has provided more than 2,000 systems in over 55 countries, and is represented in all major markets.

For more information, visit www.eco-tec.com.

SOURCE: Eco-Tec Inc.

View the original article here

Holton: Bernard Matthews plans £4m biogas plant - East Anglian Daily Times

2011-11-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Rob Mears, UK managing director of Bernard Matthews Foods

Friday, November 11, 2011 - 6:00 AM

TURKEY giant Bernard Matthews has unveiled a £4million project to convert waste into biogas at its Suffolk factory which it hopes will save energy and reduce the number of lorries going into the facility.

The firm has teamed up with Glendale Power for a renewable power project at the site in Holton, near Halesworth, which it hopes will supply 13% of its electricity and 10% of its heat.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to Waveney District Council in the coming weeks, and if approved the firm hopes the facility, which will be funded by venture capital, will be up and running by April 2013 with work likely to start next year.

The proposal would see the construction of an anaerobic digestion facility which would treat 28,000 tonnes of liquid waste including blood fluids and fat and see it converted into gas which can be turned into electricity.

The digester will be connected, by pipeline, to the existing on site effluent treatment system, and the liquid waste will then be converted into a methane rich gas, which will be piped back into the factory to power an engine connected to a generator.

Electricity produced will be fed into the factory power grid and heat recovered from the cooling system and exhaust will be used to heat water.

Spent “fuel”, which will be largely water, will be returned to the on site effluent treatment system to be cleaned up and discharged.

Richard Smithgate, group procurement director at Bernard Matthews Foods, said the facility would consist of three towers which would be integrated into the existing factory.

“This ensures that we treat our own waste rather than have it treated by a third party,” he said. “We want to become more self-sufficient and all energy will be used on the site and none of it will be exported.”

Around 60% of the factories traffic is linked associated with waste and Mr Smithgate said the proposal would removed more than 1,200 lorry trips in and out of the site.

He also said the process involved would not be open to the air and that would mean no odours would be emitted from the facility.

“It will be like a soup,” he added. “It will sit in the cylinders for about 35 days and that process will generate the gas to produce the electricity.

“We hope to get a positive reaction because we are taking 1,200 vehicles off the road and we hope that will enhance the community.

Rob Mears, UK managing director at Bernard Matthews Foods, said: “This is an important development for Bernard Matthews and the local community.

“It will not only reduce our carbon footprint and help create a sustainable, constant, environmentally-friendly source of power for the factory, but it will also provide significant environmental benefits to the local community and help strengthen our long term competitive position for the site.”

View the original article here

Carr Farm £2.5M Green Energy Project Reaches Milestone, as AD Plant Construction Progresses

2011-11-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

Image: Courtesy Farmgen

With all the worldwide business news being so bleak at the moment it is easy to forget that the Anaerobic Digestion Industry is still forging ahead with new projects.

So, it is good to be able to publicise a ground-breaking £2.5M renewable energy project, which is it's originator's Farmgen are claiming is changing the face of UK farming, has reached a major milestone.

After the completion of preliminary work on-site and the construction of service roads and clamps to hold material to feed the plant, building is now well progressed on the two large tanks, which will form the centre of interest in this biogas scheme.

Farmgen is the green energy specialist behind the farm-based Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant at Warton, near Preston which they are describing as "revolutionary". At the Anaerobic Digestion News blog we are not so convinced that the calim to it being revolutionary can be sustained in reality.

Certainly, the site at Carr Farm is going to be "revolutionary" to farmer Jonathan Rigby who is moving out of dairy farming, which his family has been involved in for generations, into what is baing called ‘energy farming’.

We are also able to report that the construction of these two AD tanks is part of a push by Farmgen which will lead to a £30 million investment in what we are sure must be the biggest ‘energy farming’ expansion programme yet, in Britain.

Farmgen says that UK farmers of the future will set to make more money, more easily out of ‘energy farming’, than traditional dairy, animal husbandry and arable farming.

However, as a consumer it is surprising to read that farmers are receiving falling prices for farm products, whiel watching the weeekly food bil rise as much as it has done this year. However, they also state that farmers are being increasingly squeezed by the supermarket giants, and that would appear to be entirely credible as the bog chains consolidate their market share and enter into another supermarket price war to do so.

We are sure that more and more farmers are realising there’s a more sustainable future in helping to avoid Britain’s looming energy crisis and supporting the move towards a low carbon economy.

There is no doubt a power ‘generation gap’ which most likely will open-up over the next 5-10 years, as the UK’s ageing fleet of fossil-fuel-burning power plants come offline to meet tough new EU emissions targets.

At this blog site we, also agree that:

“Renewables and other sources of green energy will play a critical role in providing the country’s power supplies over the next decade,”

explained Farmgen’s chief operating officer, Ed Cattigan.

“As the country moves over to green energy, as part of the move to a low carbon economy, there is a strong opportunity for many farmers in the UK to create a sustainable and stronger future for themselves by switching to ‘energy farming’."

Go and take a look at the much longer article at http://www.farmgen.co.uk/news13.htm where you will also find out about the involvement of other UK and international companies involved in this biogas project, including:

Kirk Environmental, a specialist company manufacturing AD tanks
Edina, the leading renewable power generation specialists who will supply the plant’s generating equipment
Engineering specialist Agrilek, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, responsible for connecting the plant to the national grid
Inenco, based in Lytham St Annes, Lancs, to trade the energy produced at Carr Farm
Green Energy Farmers Ltd, who will supply the crops to the Anaerobic Digestion Plant
Eimco Water Technologies Ltd, based in Tonbridge, Kent who act as the water treatment experts

We understand that Farmgen offer to run and manage a farm’s AD business, while providing a guaranteed income level for farmers for up to 10 years. The company says that they can also source finance and offer a joint venture approach to farmers interested in a possible AD project.

First Biogas Plant for Electricity and Heat Generation by Enovos Luxembourg SA ... - MarketWatch (press release)

2011-11-07T01:29:00.000-08:00

STRASSEN, Luxembourg, October 18, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Enovos Luxembourg is successfully expanding its activities in the field of renewable energy and takes a share in the Biopower Tongeren N.V.

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100% owned by Enovos International S.A., Enovos Luxembourg is a part of the Enovos-International-group.

On Monday, 17 October 2011 at the industrial estate "Tongeren Oost" (Tongeren, Belgium), Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and its project partners NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA celebrated the first stone ceremony of the largest biogas plant in Limburg. In presence of a.o. Jean Lucius, CEO Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and the Mayor of the City of Tongeren, Patrick Dewael, a tree was planted to symbolise that this biogas plant will be 100% CO2 neutral.

In August 2011, Enovos Luxembourg S.A. signed the contracts to acquire a 24.9% stake in the biogas plant. For Enovos Luxembourg, this represents the first investment in renewable energy in Belgium.

Located in a predominantly agricultural area, the biogas plant will mainly ferment corn that is grown in close cooperation with local farmers within a 15 km radius. The resulting environmentally friendly biogas is converted into electricity via a motor and is then fed into the local power grid. The heat resulting from the process is used to dry the fermentation substrates. These substrates are returned to the fields as low-odour, high-quality fertilisers, thus producing a closed cycle.

"With a capacity of approximately 3 MW, the amount of electricity generated corresponds to the annual consumption of 6,500 households and an annual CO2 reduction of 10,000 tonnes, thus achieving an important step towards further expanding renewable energies," says Daniel Christnach, Head of Renewable Energies & Cogeneration at Enovos Luxembourg. In cooperation with the project partners, the plant's capacity can optionally be subsequently expanded to 5.6 MW. The building licence for this already exists.

Jean Lucius, CEO Enovos Luxembourg highlights: "The participation in the Biopower Tongeren N.V. emphasises Enovos' consistent commitment to the field of renewable energy and we are pleased that with this first project we were able to assert this message on the Belgium market."

The plant start-up will take place in April 2012.

The project developers NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA are involved as additional partners in the project company, Biopower Tongeren N.V., each with 47.6% and 27.5% respectively.

As energy supplier on the Luxembourg, German, French and - since 2011 - Belgian energy market, Enovos Luxembourg's mission consists of generating electricity, natural gas and renewable energy for municipal providers, industries and private households and in delivering it to them.

They are subordinate to Enovos International S.A., which is an operative holding company with its headquarters in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In addition to supplying energy, the parent company also acts as an umbrella for the management of the grid operator, Creos Luxembourg S.A.

Expressed in numbers, the Enovos-International-group currently consists of more than 1,300 employees, more than 280,000 points of delivery, over 8,700 km of electric lines and more than 3,600 km of gas pipelines.

In addition to its traditional core business, the company is expanding its activities mostly in the field of renewable energy.

25.44% of Enovos International S.A. belongs to Luxembourg State, 10.01% belongs to the state-owned investment bank SNCI and 8.00% belongs to the City of Luxembourg. ArcelorMittal owns 23.48%, RWE owns 18.36%, E.ON has 10.00% and Electrabel holds 4.71%.

View the original article here

Flotech vows to treble biogas revenues - Stuff.co.nz

2011-11-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

Flotech, the biogas equipment developer, says soaring demand for renewable energy from Asia, Europe and North America will likely see its revenues triple to $300 million as early as 2015.

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The Auckland-based company develops proprietary processing technologies that converts decomposing organic matter such as fish waste and cow dung into a biogas. It plans to achieve the revenue boost by extending its dominant position in the biogas conversion market, predominantly through its Greenlane Biogas subsidiary.

Greenlane commands about 32 per cent of the biogas upgrading sector worldwide, the company said.

"We are one of the very few companies to have emerged with proven technologies for biomethane and our plan is to extend dominance of that sector," said group managing director Steve Broadbent. "Our reputation is now such that no serious developer would contemplate a biomethane project without at least including Greenlane for consideration on the supplier list."

Braodbent is the majority shareholder of the privately-held company with a 40 per cent stake. The company didn't release any actual financial figures, but it said the growth is due to a four-year transformation process in which it changed from a "projects-driven, compressor dominated business" into a worldwide marketing vehicle for the Greenlane products.

In spite of the costs of the additional costs of the transformation, which exceeded budget and ran over time, Broadbent said the expansion "is coming to fruition".

To date the company says it has sold more than 50 Greenlane Biogas upgrading systems, which produce biofuels for vehicle fleets, communities, power grids and pipeline gas.

Flotech joins a cadre of New Zealand companies which have pioneered green technologies overseas, most notably Lanzatech, the as-yet-to-break-even company which develops industrial pollution reduction technologies.

Both companies have won numerous awards in recent years, and have been the recipients of major government innovation funding.

- BusinessDay.co.nz - JASON KRUPP

View the original article here

Proposed biogas plant at West Lexham could create 30 jobs - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press

2011-11-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

The company behind plans for a new biogas plant at West Lexham, near Swaffham, says it will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

By DAISY WALLAGE Thursday, October 27, 2011

A proposed biogas energy plant near Swaffham could create up to 30 jobs.

West Lexham Biogas Limited will begin consulting on its plans to build a waste recycling plant and anaerobic digester (AD) at a disused quarry near the village later this month.

The plant will generate green electricity using waste from the food and drinks industry, reducing the amount of rubbish going to land fill and also producing organic fertiliser.

Residents and local councils are being invited to an exhibition about the project in Castle Acre on November 10 and a planning application is expected to be submitted in December.

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The company is being driven by Teun Smits, who has experience in developing and operating AD plants in Holland, and by Qualiflex Biproduct Solutions Limited (qbs), a Bury St Edmunds-based company specialising in the sustainable transfer of waste products.

A spokesman said: “As a country we landfill thousands of tonnes of waste food and drink. This project should be the first of a number of these units we will develop to process this waste across the country and we are delighted to have found a site which meets our East Anglian needs.

“The site has a good road network and is in a hidden part of the landscape away from residential properties. This plant should produce approximately 30 new jobs for the area and the construction work will also provide employment opportunities.”

Gases produced during the digestion of waste are pumped into gas engines to create electricity while the resulting “digestate” will be made available to local farms for use as an organic fertilizer.

Landowner, Niels Olesen, added: “As someone who is passionate about alternative energy production, I am delighted to be working with such a knowledgeable company. “The infrastructure is here and the former gravel working is a logical brownfield site for a use such as this. We hope to gain local support for this exciting project”.

The exhibition will be held at Castle Acre Village Hall, in Pye’s Lane, from 4pm to 7pm on November 10 and there will be the chance to answer questions.

View the original article here

Anaerobic Digestion Plant Powers Northern Ireland Village

2011-11-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Cow poo powers village

London, United Kingdom - Cow poo and grass are the main ingredients for cooking up new high efficiency power

The first energy plant of its kind in 20 years demonstrates how natural processes can power a business and a village with renewable energy. A farm near Ardstraw in Northern Ireland uses technology that allows the production of heat and power from animal waste and vegetation. Fuelled by organic matter produced on the farm, this pioneering power plant is also one of the most environmentally friendly of its kind. The plant is very efficient and wastes very little compared to other energy companies. Normally, central power plants pump more than 50% of the energy into the air while turbines waste 75% of the wind’s energy. Now, run on muck, the cow power plant has an energy efficiency of 86%, wasting only 14%, which a huge step toward a sustainable Northern Ireland.

The Greenhill Dairy Farm Biogas plant is the first plant in Northern Ireland in 20 years to provide sustainable heat and power for homes and businesses. The power station mimics a cow stomach and cooks animal waste at 40°C (104°F) to produce methane gas. The gas is then piped into two engines that drive generators while hot water is also produced for drying plant waste, called ‘digestate,’ and to pasteurise milk. This use of waste to produce valuable energy shows how rural areas and agriculture can function sustainably. Power derived from cow dung and grass silage cuts power prices for all consumers and decreases agriculture’s carbon footprint. Additionally, the unit will reduce Northern Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels and prevent volatile energy prices whilst bringing new jobs to this rural area.

Alfagy - Anaerobic digestion

The 700 acre Greenhill farm delivers grass and animal waste from some 600 cows to fuel the plant. After the process of extracting methane from the manure and grass, farmers will use the residual waste, called 'digestate', as a powerful fertiliser to grow animal feed. Capturing the value from this natural cycle is essential to enable local farmers to compete internationally. Looking like a giant muffin, the plant produces 430 kilowatts of electricity per hour - enough to supply some 430 homes with electricity.

A farm AD plant has far less visual impact and noise pollution than wind turbines and delivers far more socio-economic benefits in rural areas. The farmer earns money from his waste, the plant reduces energy and fertiliser costs which stabilises his income. AD plants are also the number one job-creating renewable technology. Alfagy’s research shows that widely adopted biogas plants create far more long term jobs than any other renewable technology and more money for the Government. “It is astonishing that more financial support isn’t directed at biogas power plants as they create 8 times more value than other renewable technologies such as wind turbines,” comments Peter Kindt, the Alfagy chairman.

World’s most efficient energy

Alfagy was selected by the developer for the project as the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and gas conditioning supplier after a competition against leading manufacturers such as GE Energy, MWM and MAN. The project faced challenges in getting funding from a bank during the financial crisis that is still raging internationally. However, Alfagy’s high level of quality and service convinced the bank to grant a development loan. This is considered something of an accomplishment in the current climate according to Peter Kindt. "Given the current credit crunch, this project is an important demonstration of a sustainable energy future", said Peter Kindt.

"The deciding factor for the finance of the project was our plant’s world beating efficiency that produced £1.8 million more revenue than the competition. Our payback is simply the fastest in the market,” adds Peter Kindt.

The Ardstraw power plant will be the 52nd biogas power plant in the UK and only the 2nd in Northern Ireland. More farmers in Northern Ireland are now considering similar projects. (See also http://anaerobic-digestion.com )

For more information, please contact Peter Kindt on +44 87 0033 6600 or via fm @ alfagy.com.

VIst their website at: http://www.alfagy.com/

Jobs Boost as Waste Plants Open - BBC News

2011-11-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

5 October 2011 Last updated at 12:31

The anaerobic digestion plant in Cumbernauld will process 60,000 tonnes of food waste a year Waste Management group Shanks has opened two major recycling and recovery facilities in the west of Scotland, creating 40 jobs.

An anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Cumbernauld will process 60,000 tonnes of food waste a year, generating enough power for more than 3,000 homes.

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A materials recycling facility (MRF) in Blochairn will process 150,000 tonnes of waste and recyclables a year.

Shanks said about £20m had been invested in the two plants.

The AD plant, which is a joint venture with Cumbernauld-based Energen Biogas, will treat organic waste from local authorities and food waste producers, maximising the amount of recyclable material recovered from food waste.

The MRF plant will serve municipal customers, such as North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire councils, as well as commercial and industrial clients.

It has been designed to achieve a 95% recovery rate from resources such as cardboard, paper, aluminium, glass, wood and metals.

The remaining waste will be converted into solid recovered fuel (SRF) for heat and power.

A total of 39 jobs have been created across the two sites - 33 at Blochairn and six in Cumbernauld.

'Zero waste' goal

Shanks UK managing director Ian Goodfellow said: "At Shanks, we are continually investing in recycling and recovery technology to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and incineration.

"Scotland's vision where all waste is seen as a resource is one we are firmly aligned with and we are very pleased that with the opening of these new plants we can contribute to making a zero-waste Scotland a reality."

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said Shanks' new facilities demonstrated that sending rubbish to landfill was "increasingly becoming a thing of the past".

He added: "Minimising the amount of waste we create in the first place is the best course of action, but from the waste we do produce we need to recycle and recover as much value as possible."

Energen Biogas operations director Robert Etherson said AD plants provided "a fantastic opportunity" to grow the renewables industry in Scotland and improve resource efficiency.

He added: "I believe we really are at the forefront of a revolution in sustainable waste management in Scotland where AD technology will play an increasingly large role."

Both plants have started to receive waste from customers and Shanks expects Cumbernauld to be operating at 100% capacity in a year's time.

Customers include Glasgow Airport, Strathclyde University and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

Shanks is an international waste management group with more than 4,000 employees across its operations in Belgium, Canada, Netherlands and the UK.

View the original article here

Landfill Gas to Power Wewoka Brick Company's Kilns - NewsOK.com

2011-11-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

WEWOKA — Most businesses probably wouldn't want to have a landfill next door, but it is working out well for Commercial Brick Corp.

The Wewoka Biogas Project was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from WCA Waste Corp.'s Sooner Landfill in Wewoka, while providing cheaper fuel to the nearby Commercial Brick Corp. plant. The annual reduction of greenhouse gases attributable to the project are about the same as:

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Greenhouse gas emissions from nearly 6,800 passenger vehicles

• Carbon dioxide emissions from consuming more than 82,000 barrels of oil

• Carbon sequestered annually by nearly 7,600 acres of pine or fir forests

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's

landfill methane outreach program

The family-owned brickmaker is getting biogas from the WCA Waste Corp. landfill about a quarter mile north of its plant.

The Wewoka Biogas Project, which is providing methane to one of Commercial's four kilns, was dedicated Friday by a host of officials from the companies involved in making it happen.

William Brinker, operations manager of project developer Enerdyne Power Systems Inc., said the project grew out of a WCA initiative to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. That meshed with Commercial's quest to find a way to reduce its energy costs.

“It just makes economic sense because we're displacing other fossil fuels,” Brinker said.

Companies like eBay, Designtex and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters helped finance the project by buying carbon offsets.

Brinker said decomposing trash in the Sooner Landfill creates methane, the main component in natural gas.

It is collected by 14 vertical wells drilled into the landfill.

The gas is processed at an adjacent blower station to remove excess water and then sent over to the brick plant.

Commercial President Bob Hartsock said the company always is looking for ways to save money on fuel.

“This just made perfect sense,” he said.

Hartsock's company makes about 156 million bricks a year, running its natural gas-fired kilns nonstop, 24 hours a day.

Hartsock said companies often try to build brick plants near landfills to take advantage of available biogas, but Commercial had the luxury of having a landfill built about a quarter mile from its plant.

“All we had to do was retrofit our burners to accept the methane gas,” he said.

Hartsock said it is too soon to know how much the biogas project will save in fuel costs, but the arrangement will allow Commercial to remain competitive in a tough environment.

The deal means gas from the landfill always will be cheaper than natural gas.

“That's where it's really a home run for you,” he said.

Hartsock said he is looking forward to drawing more methane from the landfill over time.

“The more waste they get out there the more it will generate,” Hartsock said.

View the original article here

Konzen Clean Energy Gets Biogas Plant Contract Worth US$2.5 Million - Bernama

2011-10-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2011 15:07 PM

Konzen Clean Energy Gets Biogas Plant Contract Worth US$2.5 Million

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Konzen Clean Energy Sdn Bhd (KCE) has been awarded a US$2.5 million (US$1=RM3.03) contract by Indonesia's PT Paramitra Internusa Pratama to set up a biogas plant at its Belian Estate in West Kalimantan by July 2012.

KCE is a BioNexus-status firm facilitated by Malaysian Biotechnology Corp Sdn Bhd (BiotechCorp) while PT Paramitra is a unit of PT SMART Tbk Agribusiness & Food.

In a statement Friday, BiotechCorp's chief executive officer, Datuk Dr Mohd Nazlee Kamal, said the initiative by KCE delivered on the agenda for Phase II of the National Biotechnology Policy -- commercialisation of biotechnology.

"It also reflects the maturity and strength of our local biotech firms and their competitiveness in embarking on strategic partnerships for the robust development of the industry," he said.

Under the agreement, KCE will provide the design, supply, engineering, installation, commissioning and project management of the effluent treatment plant, complete with anaerobic digester tanks and state-of-the-art process control system of the biogas plant.

The plant will have sophisticated monitoring equipment that facilitates comprehensive data logging, useful for plant improvements and future research and development work under the ongoing developmental activities of KCE.

Biotechcorp said the technology transfer from KCE for the development of the biogas plants plant would therefore be relevant far beyond the project itself and would be appreciated by industry in the future.

It said as an alternative to fossil fuels, PT SMART planned to use biogas at this plant produced from its palm oil mill effluent to generate electricity for its palm oil mills, the statement said.

"The surplus supply of the electricity would be directed to the community," it said.

View the original article here

Biogas plant makes the most of fuel from waste - FarmersWeekly

2011-10-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

Biogas plant makes the most of fuel from waste - 9/21/2011 - Farmers Weekly
Neil Gemmell, who farms at Clayton Hall Farm near Wakefield, has installed a 400kW anaerobic digestion plant, to process 6,000t of feedstock a year. Although the plant would be viable with energy crops from the farm, in energy terms, some 80% of the feedstock comes from food waste.
Video shows plant used elsewhere by Biogas Nord

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The large digester has a capacity of 2,800cu m, which is required for the long retention times that are a feature of the system supplied by Biogas Nord.
"The system is designed to run on less than 4kg of solid material per cubic metre per day," explains Biogas Nord's UK representative Owen Yeatman.
"Traditional British digesters are smaller, but the economics are driven by gate fees. We want to extract all the energy from whatever comes in. For example, with maize we would expect 90-95% breakdown of the material."
One advantage of the large digester is the amount of gas storage it provides, something that other installations use secondary digesters or separate gas stores to achieve.
To handle food waste, the plant needs to comply with animal by-products (ABP) legislation, which includes a requirement for an enclosed reception area. At Clayton Hall a redundant grain store was used, meaning that extra capital was required to comply with this aspect of the rules.
From the reception building, the solid material is augured into the digester where agitators keep the mixture moving for up to 60 days. A heating system incorporated inside the concrete walls maintains the temperature at 40-42C. Once the gas has been extracted, the digestate is sent to a pasteuriser, which is a key difference from most on-farm plants. The material is pumped through a macerator to ensure it is small enough to comply with the ABP rules and then pasteurised in batches at 72C for one hour.
In terms of cost, Mr Yeatman reckons that the need for pasteurisation increased the overall capital cost of the plant by as much as 10%. "There is also a significant operating cost in terms of monitoring and meeting statutory requirements," he adds.
The pasteurised digestate is currently stored in a lagoon, although the farm plans to install a separator to separate the liquid and solid fractions, which can then be marketed under the PAS110 standard for quality digestate.
Mr Gemmell is very happy with the system, but he warns other farmers thinking about developing a waste-fed biogas plant to think carefully. "It certainly comes with a whole raft of extra things on top," he says.
While the costs of the plant are confidential, Mr Yeatman says that a typical 500kW plant using farm-based inputs would be around £1.6m, excluding digestate storage. He estimates that once adding compliance with ABP regulations has been offset against the need not to construct a silage clamp for feedstock storage, the additional cost for a food waste plant of the same size would be around £200,000. Gate fees and gas output should increase the margins on the plant, but at higher management, regulatory and capital costs compared with plants based on farm inputs.
View the original article here

Northern Ireland Opens New biogas CHP plant - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

2011-10-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

A farm near Ardstraw in Northern Ireland is converting organic matter into biogas to provide sustainable heat and power on-site, as well as for local homes and businesses.

The 700-acre Greenhill farm biogas plant plant is only the second such plant in Northern Ireland. It works by ‘cooking’ animal waste from 600 cows at 40°C to produce methane gas.

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The gas is then piped into two engines that drive generators to produce electricity. Hot water is also produced and is used to dry the plant’s residual, as well to pasteurise milk.

According to Alfagy, which supplied the biogas CHP, it has an energy efficiency of 86%, and represents a significant step toward in achieving an energy sustainable Northern Ireland.

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The plant produces 430 kWh of power, which is sufficient to supply around 430 homes.

After the process of extracting methane from the manure and vegetation, farmers use the residual waste as a fertiliser to grow animal feed.

Alfagy says the project faced challenges in attracting funding from banks during the financial crisis.

“It is astonishing that more financial support isn’t directed at biogas power plants as they create eight times more value than other renewable technologies such as wind turbines,” says Peter Kindt, Alfagy’s chairman.

View the original article here

Stove that works on biogas as well as LPG - IBNLive.com

2011-10-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K T Ajayakumar keeps on improving what he knows best, ie experimenting with gadgets and appliances. Ajayan, who runs the Thankam Gas Service Centre at Aramkallu, Vazhayila, has now come up with a new gas stove which can be lit using both LPG and biogas.
“For this, I have not changed the structure of the LPG gas stove. Only that it has a special air hole arrangement so that it functions on biogas as well. It has two knobs- one for LPG and the other for biogas,” says Ajayan.

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A half-inch hole is made at the end of the stove burner and the biogas pipe is connected from the valve to the burner. While LPG needs an air hole, it is not needed for biogas. Also, the stove comes with a separate burner top - with 4 mm holes- for the biogas. No change has been made in the case of LPG pipe.
“I consider this as a great achievement. It would be handy in the case of households which have space constraints,” Ajayan says. And he is ready to make the stove on demand. “They need to shell out just ` 460 for the same,” he says.
This highly enthusiastic 33-year-old has made numerous inventions over the last few years. In fact, this stove is his sixth invention. He had started off with a granite stove, then came up with a bio-heater, then a high pressure stove which saves gas. He even developed a system which would avert train mishaps. “Whenever I get time, I experiment with whatever I come across,” says Ajayan, who has studied till Class X. Contact Ajayakumar at 9349761454.
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First U.S. Dry Fermentation Biodigester Produces Renewable Energy at UW-Oshkosh

2011-10-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a great project, don't get me wrong, but I am very doubtful about this "caim to be first". If correct, then this is indeed a newsworthy posting. If any of our readers has a view on the voracity of this claim then we please comment, using the comment box below. Many thanks. (Your Blogmaster)

October 19, 2011

The first anaerobic dry fermentation biodigester in the western hemisphere is up and running at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. The alternative power system has been producing clean, renewable electricity from plant and food waste to supply electricity and heat for the university campus since Oct. 3.

University staff and students involved with the development of the power system had been stockpiling agricultural plant and food waste as feedstock in airless chambers and feeding it into the dry anaerobic biodigester since last summer in anticipation of bringing it online.
Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. As part of an integrated waste management system, anaerobic digestion reduces the emission of methane gas, CO2, and “non-methane organic compounds” or NMOCs into the atmosphere. Anaerobic digestion is also used as a renewable energy source since the process produces a methane and carbon dioxide rich biogas suitable for energy production.

As the name indicates, ‘dry,’ as opposed to ‘wet,’ anaerobic digesters break down dry organic materials with moisture content of less than 75%, such as agricultural waste and plant material traditionally left over after harvesting a crop.

On Oct. 3, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh team decided they had enough biogas to start-up energy production, so they turned on the plant’s gas turbine engines. The biogas from the biodigester drives the turbines, which are expected to generate enough electricity in the start-up phase to meet 5% of the university’s electricity and heating needs.
Besides producing clean, renewable energy from agricultural and food waste – corn stalks, husks, leaves, and discarded food – the bio-energy plant is serving as an ideal site for experiential learning, particularly for biology and environmental students.

Proposed plans call for revenue from the plant to flow into student scholarships, campus laboratory upgrades and expansion, and the creation of a rural community development innovation center.

For the full posting visit http://environmentalgreen.wordpress.com/tag/anaerobic-digestion/

For more AD information on AD generally visit http://anaerobic-digestion.com/

Biogas live at Weybridge Waitrose - Surrey Comet

2011-10-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

5:17pm Thursday 15th September 2011

A recycling system to convert food waste into biofuel has gone live at a Weybridge supermarket.

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Waitrose in Weybridge High Street now has food not fit for sale taken to an anaerobic digestion plant and turned into organic fertiliser, or biogas which is converted in to electricity.

It means food that is out of date or damaged is put back in to the system rather than just thrown away.

As a result the store has halved the amount of rubbish it sends to landfill.

Waitrose target is for 150 stores to process waste in this way.

Weybridge branch manager David Coleman said: “As the first national food retailer to fully sign up to this food waste recycling scheme, Waitrose is leading the way in taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint.”

View the original article here

Sewage Sludge Reuse: Come On OFWAT the Time for an Open Market is Now

2011-10-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

By Steve Last: Renewable Energy News

Beckton Sewage Works, London

We know that until quite recently what to do with sewage sludge was always a challenge for society. After all until the 1970's in the UK most conurbations were simply throwing it into the sea by the shipload. A disposal method which frankly seems cavalier in the extreme now, and would never be countenanced today, but only finally ceased in the late 1990s.

We now that it was a good move when the water acts of 20 years ago were passed it was good move to delegate sewage sludge disposal to the water industry and let the rest of us forget about it.

We know that the privatised UK Water Industry in its turn responded to that regulatory direction and developed a worthy system of dealing with sludge generated by sewage treatment operations, beginning initially with 'disposal' to local farmland and evolving into 'agricultural recycling' helped along by successive regulations defining treatment criteria and requiring control of added nutrients and contaminants.

However, the practical ability to do this depends heavily upon the quantity and quality of the sludge applied matching the needs of the economically accessible agricultural land such that many larger industrial connurbations have had to limit this practise. First landfill was used, but that option was largely closed by the EU landfill directive, which led to incineration as the most applicable solution.

But, all that has now changed with rising oil and coal prices. Like it or not renewable energy is here to stay, and for sludge and until something better comes along, that means Anaerobic Digestion.

And, a little publicised revolution is underway, in which the huge increase in sewage sludge production has occurred, as the consequence of the additional national sewage treatment now being applied nationwide, and society also happens from now on to need this as an energy source. It was, and to an extent still is now, a real problem finding ways to manage this sludge responsibly, but that HAS changed. Anaerobic digestion is the answer. It is there, it is proven, and the government is committed to subsidising it as an essential component of our energy policy which will allow the UK to comply with its 2020 renewables targets.

In other words; traditionally sludge has been considered a 'waste' requiring disposal, but that is rapidly changing.

A change in perception is obvious. Sludge is not going to be a waste any more, that is as certain as the fact that peak oil production has been reached, and that the days of huge fossil fuel resource discoveries has also passed. From now on sludge will have a resource value. A value which may be recovered through its use in the production of renewable energy, and primary feedstocks for chemical/ industrial processes.

The idea that only the Water Companies could be trusted with sewage sludge disposal, is now history. It simply isn't true. It's time to open up sewage sludge disposal to the market and allow the undoubtedly huge synergies which can then be realised between the Water Plcs and the UK Waste Management industry to flourish.

Examples of future synergistic relationships between the UK water industry and an open market in sewage sludge treatment include the large scale:

• co-composting of sewage sludge with municipal green waste,
• use of dried sludge as a substitute fuel in cement manufacture,
• growing of energy crops (fertilised by sludge) for renewable energy generation,
• co-combustion in power generation,
• production of lightweight aggregates from sewage sludge cake and other previously landfilled wastes.

If this was opened up further and Water Plcs could form joint-ventures with the Waste Management Industry, and the advantages to the nation would extend still further, by relinquishing land assets within UK cities for recycling and solid waste treatment, just where they are so badly needed close to where the waste which is produced and needs recycling.

Process all types of waste together at those sites which are now only Wastewater Treatment Works. These are sites which could so easily be further developed as integrated waste treatment sites, facilitating recycling as a natural adjunct to city life. Not something done in obscure industrial estates on the edge of conurbations to where the current generation of these plants are thrust, by "NIMBY syndrome effects" on our planning system and by so doing are incurring huge dis-benefits in traffic generation and transport fuel wastage.

So, OFWAT here this plea from Renewable Energy News! Open up the market for sludge and release the Water Companies from restrictions on them which were once appropriate, but now threaten the ability of the UK to fully develop the new integrated resource management infrastructure. An infrastructure, without which "zero waste" must remain a pipe-dream forever.

Are Students No More Than a Bunch of Irresponsible Wasters?

2011-10-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Are Students No More Than a Bunch of Irresponsible Wasters?

Biogas to solve LPG crisis in rural Dakshina Kannada - Times of India

2011-10-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Biogas to solve LPG crisis in rural DK - Times Of India

MANGALORE: Rural schools, anganwadis and backward class and minority hostels in the Dakshina Kannada (DK) district need not shell out money to get refilled LPG cylinders anymore. DK zilla panchayat plans to set up biogas production plants in schools, anganwadis and backward class and minority hostels which would convert waste into cooking gas.

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Many of the rural schools in the district find it difficult to get refilled LPG cylinders due to irregularities in the supply by the gas agencies. Biogas plants will help the schools cut down their dependence on LPG and firewood for cooking and not just save money.

While biogas produced in the plant will be used to cook mid-day meals in schools, it will be used in the kitchens of anganwadis and hostels. The zilla panchayat has already earmarked Rs 20,000 each to set up biogas plants in four centres in the district.

The plants will be initially set up in the anganwadi centres of Daddelakadu and Soornadu in Bantwal taluk, backward class and minority hostels in Bajpe in Mangalore taluk and Balthila in Bantwal taluk. See also www.anaerobic-digestion.com

Total sanitation officer of the district Manjula told STOI that an agency that quotes a suitable price will be given the task of setting up the biogas plants, which will reduce the burden on rural schools, anganwadis and hostels in several ways. In addition to saving money, it will also help to maintain cleanliness in the schools, the anganwadi and hostel premises as kitchen waste and other bio-degradable waste can be used as a raw material for the plant, she said.

The proposed plants will have the capacity to produce biogas, sufficient for two hours of cooking, with two kilograms of waste. Also power can be generated from the plant with the help of a generator, she said, adding that the work will commence soon.

More rural schools will be chosen where such biogas plants will be set up in near future, she added.

View the original article here

California bill a win for biogas - Biomass Power and Thermal

2011-10-26T23:05:00.000-07:00

Anaerobic Digestion News

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 489, a law that allows small-scale biomass and biogas projects (1 megawatt or less) to qualify for the state’s Net Energy Metering program.

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NEM allows a customer/generator to receive a financial credit for power generated by their on-site system and fed back to the utility. The credit is used to offset the customer's electricity bill.

Previously, the NEM program applied only to wind and solar power generators. SB 489, or the Renewable Energy Equity Act, sponsored by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Calif., allows all kinds of renewable energy forms to qualify for NEM.

“The most important component of this bill is its name,” said Patrick Serfass, executive director of the American Biogas Council. “Parity among all renewables is extremely important to be able to compete fairly in the market place.”

Serfass said he believes the majority of biogas projects will now be eligible for NEM, particularly farm- and wastewater-based projects. “If you look at the number of farm-based digesters in California, the number is about 11, which is really small considering what is possible. Out of the three main biogas feedstocks in California—ag waste, municipal solid waste and wastewater—two are directly related to the population, and California has a lot of people. The potential is massive.”

There are at least 30 landfills in the state that don’t have energy projects on them right now, according to Serfass. He added that the ABC is still looking into the exact impacts the bill could have, but said that it would definitely help new projects get installed and into service. “This is a step in the right direction,” he said.

View the original article here

Dong targets biomass-fired CHP in the UK - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

2011-10-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Denmark's largest power producer says it is looking at the UK as a potential location for power plants that convert household waste to energy.

The UK government has said it wants to see an expansion in waste-to-energy and anaerobic digestion plants and has recently increased incentives for on-farm biogas technologies.

But so far the industry has been taking a wait-and-see approach until the government reveals further details on the future structure of renewable energy subsidies before it commits to new waste-to-energy plants.

Dong has a history in the biomass market and currently produces heat and electricity at three waste-fired CHP plants in Jutland, Denmark.

Dong has also established a consortium to investigate the potential of bioenergy technologies and which is also tasked with converting an existing biomass-fired CHP plant to allow it to handle waste products from a bioethanol plant.

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The company is also looking at the possibility of constructing a waste treatment plant that will use enzymes to separate waste fractions for use in biogas production.

For more biomas news click here

View the original article here

Landia Chopper Pumps Improve Biogas Yields at UK Anaerobic Digestion Plant

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Landia Chopper Pump installed at the feed to the AD Plant

Pumps made by Landia are playing a vital role in the success of a new 20kW anaerobic digestion plant at a 1,100 acre mixed farm in Hampshire.

Designed to provide all the benefits of large scale AD, but simplified so as to be achievable on a farm scale, the £100,000 plant includes both long-shaft and dry-mounted Landia pumps, which handle slurry from the dairy and leftover fruit and vegetable waste from the arable side of the farm.

It is true to say that even the notoriously difficult to handle AD feedstock punishment at installations of this type, hasn’t halted Landia pumps on the farm.

“We’ve done our level best to punish these Landia pumps with the thickest and most difficult materials we could thrown at them”;

said farm owner and Bioplex Technologies’ Director Chris Reynell,

“but they just keep on working, even though there are no excess liquids because we’re very much a solids-in, solids-out operation”.

He added:

“Landia had to meet our criteria for rugged and reliable equipment that could cope with heavy material such as silage, garden waste and horse manure, as well as slurry. We’ve had no problems whatsoever. The Landia pumps have accelerated the hydrolysis of the AD plant and help produce very healthy bacteria. We have gained a significant upturn in biogas and benefitted from a superior compostable end-product, as well as enhanced fertilizer values. It’s a great piece of kit”.

Chopper Pump Detail

Reynell also explained that the outlay included a new reception tank and a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generator that provides electricity for his farmhouse. With the savings made from not having to buy artificial fertiliser and reduced fuel costs for the generator, he estimates a payback period of 5 years.

The pumps installed at this site are Long Shaft Chopper Pumps: MPG 4” 7.5kw complete with cutting knives.

About Landia

‘Landia is a family-owned company that was founded in 1933 in Denmark. In 1950 the company invented the first efficient electric pump with rotating knives, which is the main principle behind today’s modern chopper pump (as it is now called), which is used all over the world.

Over 75% of Landia’s business is export, with its pumps, mixers and process units in successful use across numerous industries, including sewage treatment plants, biogas, agriculture, fish, food and brewing. Landia prides itself on high quality products and a back-up service to its customers to match’.

Find more "Chopper Pump" information at the chopper pumps page at www.Landia.co.uk .

Elephant-poo power electrifies zoo - CNN

2011-10-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Zoo in Germany partially powered by electricity produced from animal dungAnimal waste fermented for 30 days generates "biogas"

Energy produced enough to heat 25 homes and power 100

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Munich, Germany (CNN) -- At Munich Zoo you can watch the courtship rituals of the banded mongoose, hear the morning song of the scarlet ibis or visit the Indian elephants, who help keep the lights on with electricity generated from their dung.

They can do this because Munich Zoo has harnessed "poo power," energy stored in animal waste, which can be converted into a fuel known as "biogas."

It works like this: The zoo has built three large containers, each capable of holding about 100 cubic meters of animal waste -- that's around a week's worth of dung collected from all the vegetarian animals in the zoo.

Once inside the containers, it's mixed with warm water and the bacteria in the dung is left to decompose in an oxygen-free environment for 30 days.

The resulting biogas, mainly comprised of methane and carbon dioxide, rises naturally through vents in the ceiling to a corrugated hut on the roof where it's collected in a "big balloon," says park supervisor Dominik Forster.

The biogas is then fed into a gas-powered engine that's used to generate electricity. Forster says that the balloon -- which more closely resembles a small Zeppelin -- can store enough biogas to meet 5% of the zoo's energy needs.

By the time the food has been digested by the animal, a lot of the energy in it has been used up or burped out
Dr Geraint Evans, National Centre for Biorenewable Energy
"When you turn the biogas into electricity, it creates heat which we also store," says Forster. This is then used to warm the gorilla enclosure, "but could be used to heat about 25 homes," he adds.

Once the fermentation process that creates the methane is finished, the remaining solid matter, or "digestate" is used as an organic fertilizer for crops that will later be used as feedstock for the animals.

"We don't waste anything," said Forster, who claims that his is the only zoo in Germany to generate electricity in this way.

A mature elephant can eat about 100 kilograms of fruit, vegetables and pretzels a day, producing a mountain of dung and Forster says that all the zoo animals together create roughly 2,000 tons of the stuff every year.

This is enough to power about 100 Munich households -- a drop in the ocean when you consider Munich's population, which is 1.3 million, according to CIA World Factbook.

The problem is that dung alone does not produce all that much energy relative to its size, says Geraint Evans, head of biofuels at the UK's National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials.

"By the time the food has been digested by the animal, a lot of the energy in it has been used up or burped out," he said. "It's more efficient to just put the feed directly into the biogas generator." [See also http://anaerobic-digestion.com ]

Even if the returns are small at this stage, Evans says this project and others similar are still worth it.

"It's really important that we change our mindset from dependence on one source of energy to many different complementary sources," Evans said. "Animal waste can create electricity, heat, fertilizer ... even clean water can be extracted from the solids to spray on crops ... So, it's emblematic of this very holistic approach."

In this spirit, Forster says there are now plans to install photo-voltaic solar panels on top of the animal enclosures over the coming year.

View the original article here

Feces-Powered Motorcycle? Bullsh*t What Do You Think?

2011-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Let us put the record straight!

A three-wheeled motorbike that runs on the rider's feces? It sounded much too unsanitary to be true. Sure enough, the Toilet Bike Neo isn't powered by waste generated by its rider?! No, sorry to disappoint you, but it isn't!

It is an operational bike, though, and it's being powered by biogas fuel as it makes its way across Japan.

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The creator is high-end toilet manufacturer Toto, which devised this conceptual model to publicize the company's environmental initiatives. The seat is one of Toto's advanced toilet models, the Neorest AH3, but the toilet isn't operational.

The engine runs on biogas fuel, which is made from a substance that comes from human and animal waste products. The biogas is contained in two compressed gas cylinders, which are mounted on the bike and hold enough for the bike to run about 300 km without refilling, Toto says.

More than a few publications reported the bike runs on waste generated by the rider. WTOP said Toilet Bike Neo "converts the poop -- which can come straight from the driver sitting on a toilet-style seat -- into a biogas that propels the vehicle." Huffington Post repeated that disgusting claim, saying that human waste is stored in the driver's seat and citing WTOP.

The Daily Mail was confused, too: "Bizarrely the rider is even encouraged to use the portaloo as much as possible on every journey as the waste is turned into biofuel which powers the machine."

Ubergizmo's take? "Yes sir, yesterday's processed lunch and dinner will get you places, thanks to the biogas converted from feces that is harvested straight from the rider."

Nope. Not true.

Amidst all the inaccurate reports, Toto published this explanation on its web site:

"TOILET BIKE NEO does not have the mechanism to run on the rider's waste. It runs biogas fuel (fertilized, purified and compressed livestock waste and household wastewater) provided by Shika-oi Town in Hokkaido and Kobe city. Therefore, the NEO REST seat does not function as a toilet, and has been created for promoting TOTO's environmental efforts. TOTO is not involved with any motorbike or biogas production business."

Music and secret messages are part of Toilet Bike Neo's allure, however. Six car horns can perform the "Toto Benki No Uta," or the Song of Toto Toilet. A vertical string of LED lights displays a message that can only be seen at night.

View the original article here

Researchers Achieve Breakthrough in Treating Biogas and Bio-butanol to Develop ... - AZoCleantech

2011-10-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

By Cameron Chai

While Bio-butanol can be generated by using spin-offs of the pulp and paper industry and food industry to substitute petrol, methane realized from biogas, as revealed in the life-cycle assessment is seen as a top prospective to substitute fossil fuel.

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Professor Ulla Lassi, a researcher from the University of Oulu, has tried the manufacture of butanol through a chemical synthesis process, which deploys a new catalyst material to change compounds such as ethanol, methanol or glycerol into alcohol, pentanol and butanol blends, which can be directly utilized as liquid fuels. He found that usage of glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel will be more cost- efficient. According to Lassi, the current discoveries in butanol fermentation methods have solved the experienced problems partly and he explained that new catalyst development and new chemical sysnthesis methods alone will enable the manufacture of new type of liquid fuels.

Another research, a joint Finnish-Chilean endeavor under the SusEn research program, tried the use of biogas as a transport fuel. The research tried methods to upgrade the landfill gas into fuel. According to the principal researcher of the project, Professor Jukka Rintala, in recent years a good amount of interest has been shown in the use of biogas sourced from energy crops and biodegradable waste. Such biogas is either utilized to run the vehicles or fed into the grid as natural gas for usage and the waste material known as digestate is used as a soil conditioner or fertilizer.

Rintala carried out the project at Jyväskylä located Mustankorkea Waste Treatment Facility, which focused on removing trace compounds of biogas. The method attempted to raise the methane content in biogas to facilitate its usage as biofuel. It utilized the water absorption method, which enabled the yield of methane content up to 80 to 90 % and the rest was found to be nitrogen and carbon dioxide. While nitrogen content reduced the energy subjects of biogas, its carbon dioxide brought down the energy value of biogas. The research suggests preventing the access of nitrogen in the landfill located gas collection system to lower its content in the collected methane.

Source: http://www.aka.fi/eng

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Biogas Europe Conference Features Biomethane for Transport

2011-10-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Biomethane and its applications is a crucial topic for biogas’s future development across Europe. As such it has been accorded a half-day segment at an upcoming Biogaz Europe conference, to be held on October 25-26 in Nantes, France. The afternoon session with start off with an overview of the status of biomethane today in Europe from Andy Bull, Project Co-Ordinator of the IEE project, BioMethane Regions. The French biomethane context for direct injection and for transport will be given by GRDF and the French Natural Gas Vehicle Association (AFGNV).

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Additionally, four innovative case studies will exemplify the benefits of biomethane for transport (from Sweden, UK, Austria and France).
Valtra Tractors (SE) : The Valtra N101 dual-fuel tractor has 110 horsepower and is intended as an all-purpose tractor for farms, municipalities and contractors that have the possibility of refuelling with biomethane while working. Without making any changes to the original diesel engine, 70 to 80 percent of power is generated by biomethane. The dual-fuel engine functions like a diesel engine and performs the same whether operating on dual-fuel or just diesel. The gas is injected with the intake air, and combustion occurs when a small amount of diesel fuel is injected into the cylinder. If biomethane is not available, the engine can run completely on diesel fuel.
Adnams Brewery (UK) : Adnams Bio Energy Limited has constructed and is now commissioning a groundbreaking anaerobic digestion (AD) plant, which will be the first in the UK to use brewery and local food waste to produce biomethane for direct injection into the national gas grid (in partnership with British Gas and the National Grid) as well as providing gas for use as a vehicle fuel. In the future the facility will produce enough renewable gas to power the Adnams brewery and run its fleet of lorries, while still leaving up to 60 per cent of the output for injection into the National Grid.
Fuchsn’hof, Austria (AT) : Austria’s first biogas feeding-plant has been operating in Upper Austria since June 2005. This pilot project supplies the existing natural gas grid with biogas up-graded to natural gas quality. Fuchsn’Hof, an existing biogas plant that used biogas for generation of electricity, now serves as a gas production plant. The substrate consists of a mixture of manure from 10,500 hens and 50 breeding pigs.
BioEnergie de la Brie (FR) : BioEnergie de la Brie is a project under development which anticipates to utilise a blend of cattle slurry, vegetable, cheese production wastes and cereal residues to produce and upgrade biogas to biomethane quality for direct injection to the gas grid.
Conference details here.
View the original article here

United Plantations plans more biogas plants - Malaysia Star

2011-10-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

TELUK INTAN: United Plantations Bhd (UP) plans to add more biogas plants in one or two years at its palm oil mills in Malaysia and Indonesia to save energy cost.

Vice-chairman/executive director (corporate affairs) Datuk Carl Bek-Nielsen said the company reduced 25% of fossil fuel usage yearly at its Perak plantation by relying on electricity generated from its biogas plant in Teluk Intan.

Lim says in view of the fuel-price volatility, plants will enjoy significant cost-savings as the energy generated will reduce the dependency on fossil fuel.

“Currently, we have three biogas plants in the country and they help a lot in terms of cost-savings. Though it is costly to set up a biogas plant, the impact that we receive is really worth it,” he told reporters during a media visit to UP's plant here.

He said the cost of building a biogas plant was about RM7mil and the group had invested RM20mil for its existing three plants.

Meanwhile, Dr Lim Weng Soon, director of Malaysian Palm Oil Board's engineering and processing research division, urged more palm oil mill operators to build biogas plants to boost revenue.
“Mills can use steam or/and electricity generated from the biogas plant for their own use. In view of the fuel-price volatility, plants will enjoy significant cost-savings as the energy generated will reduce the dependency on fossil fuel,” he said.

Under the Palm Oil National Key Economic Area of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), the country is targeting 500 biogas plants by 2020.

Lim said Malaysia was on track to achieve the target. “There are currently 46 in operation, 22 under construction and another 46 in planning stage.”
Lim said the three states with the highest number of plants are Sabah (10), Johor (nine) and Perak (eight). Of the commissioned plants, 18 are generating electricity for their own use. [Also see http://anaerobic-digestion.com ]

Independent mill: One of United Plantations Bhd?s three biogas plants.
The biogas plant under the ETP are expected to generate about RM2.9bil in gross national income and create 2,000 jobs by 2020.

In assisting independent millers to fund the development of their biogas plants, an existing Green Technology Fund of RM1.5bil is being set up by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.
View the original article here

Research: From landfill biogas to transport fuel - Recycling News

2011-10-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Helsinki -- Within the Academy of Finland?s research programme Sustainable Energy, researchers looked at the use of biogas as a transport fuel. As a joint Finnish-Chilean effort, the researchers studied the upgrading of landfill gas into fuel. ?In recent years, interest in using biogas technology in the utilisation of industrial by-products for energy purposes has increased considerably. Some countries have already introduced this technology on a large scale, says Professor Jukka Rintala, the principal investigator of the project.

Our video for this post is on the subject of Finnish Biogas. There is no association between the video and the article.

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Biogas can be produced from many different materials ranging from biodegradable waste to energy crops. The biogas produced in this process is a versatile source of energy. It can be used for heat and electricity, be processed into vehicle fuel or fed into the natural gas grid. In addition, the residual material, the so-called digestate, from the process can be used as fertilizer or soil conditioner,? Rintala explains.
Methane derived from biogas has been shown to be one of the most suitable candidates for use as biofuel, thanks to its sustainable production chain. Methane also meets the EU?s criteria for sustainable biofuels, which will take effect in a few years? time. Rintala: ?Biogas can be used as a biofuel once its methane content is raised above 95 per cent. In our research, we used water absorption, which yielded a methane content of 80?90 per cent. The rest is carbon dioxide and nitrogen.?

Nitrogen does not cause any damage to car engines, but it does lower the energy content of biogas. To reach a higher methane content through this process, we should prevent the access of nitrogen in the gas collection system in the landfill. Carbon dioxide does not damage engines either, but it lowers the energy value of biogas, says Rintala.

Rintala would like to see more research on the effects of process parameters on the costs of biogas upgrading and the effects of pressurisation on compound removal. As a rule, the only criterion for biomass is that it can be broken down by microbes under oxygen-free conditions. Of course, the composition of feedstocks does affect the composition of the biogas produced and also the chosen method of purification. Landfill gases are generally thought of as being the most difficult ones to upgrade into fuel.? Quelle: Academy of Finland
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Somerset council approves biogas extension - BioEnergy News

2011-10-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

Somerset council approves biogas extension

17 October 2011

A biogas facility in Somerset, south west England, has been given approval to double its current capacity to power 4,000 homes.

(The follwing video stays on the "Somerset" subject matter of this post, but shows an un-associated AEROBIC composting facility. While this is excellent bio-management, aerobic systems, although cheaper to build and operates, aerobic processing does not produce any biogas or any energy at all, and in fact require substantial energy inputs to operate.)

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Currently the Cannington Enterprises plant uses an anaerobic digester to produce power from residue crops such as maize silage, grass, whole crop and big bale silage but it will now be allowed to treat up to 75,000 tonnes of other waste such as rotting food.

A number of residents objected to the original application, made in March, because they believed it would create excess traffic on narrow roads and that the smell would impact tourism in surrounding areas.

The company needs to prepare an odour management plan, a noise management plan and landscape plan before commencing the build. http://anaerobic-digestion.com

As part of the extension, the company plans to extend a tanker loading to an existing building, build a separator facility for the ‘spent digestate accompanied by a solid digestate bay and liquid digestate tank’, and construct a maintenance building and gas holder.

View the original article here

QL Resources plans to sell renewable energy - Malaysia Star

2011-10-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

SHAH ALAM: QL Resources Bhd is looking at selling biogas-generated electricity from its palm oil mill in Tawau, Sabah, under the feed-in tariff system for Malaysia's renewable energy sector, which is due to be implemented in December.

The system will allow domestically produced electricity from renewable energy resources to be sold to power utilities at a fixed premium price for a specific duration.

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QL's core divisions are marine products manufacturing, integrated livestock farming and palm oil activities.

Managing director Chia Song Kun said the biogas energy facility at one of the group's two palm oil mills in Sabah would be commissioned this week. The biogas comes from the effluent resulting from the milling process.

“A 50-tonne-per-hour mill can generate two megawatts of electricity.

“Every palm oil mill can sell electricity if they do this (biogas energy). If this project is successful, we may look at selling green power to the Sabah government,” Chia said after the group's EGM yesterday.

He added that the excess bioga-genrated electricity could be used to power other utilities at each mill as well as for the the production of palm pellet biofuel, which is produced from palm oil mill by-products such as empty fruit bunches.

On the murky economic outlook, Chia said QL's performance in the near future might be affected slightly by potentially lower demand for its premium surimi (processed fish paste) products.

“We think there will be weaker demand for higher grade surimi,” he said.

About 30% of QL's marine product sales are from exports to countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

“We are still aiming for double-digit growth this year although the economic environment is not favourable,” Chia said.

For its first quarter ended June 30, the group posted a 3.7% year-on-year jump in net profit to RM27.8mil while revenue grew 18.2% to RM454.57mil.

QL attributed the growth in turnover to improved crude palm oil prices, better volume of palm oil fruits processed and higher unit value of feed raw materials.

View the original article here

Promoting Biogas With Humour! Toilet Bike Rolls Out Biogas-Powered Environmental Message

2011-10-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

One for the road -- Toto's Toilet Bike Neo is turning heads as it crosses Japan on the power of animal dung.

Of all the PR-friendly ways there are to spread a message, corporate or otherwise, sending some poor sap out to ride across an entire country on a motorized toilet surely ranks high on the list of “Uh, what?” schemes we've seen.

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Allow us to introduce the poop-powered Toilet Bike Neo. It's a three-wheeled chopper-style motorcycle from Toto, one of Japan’s largest toilet suppliers.

Contrary to what you might think (and who can blame any mind for wandering in that direction), the retro steed runs not on human “output” from the unfortunate rider, but on biogas brewed from animal dung and household wastewater.

Um, and it also comes fitted with a tiny talking latrine on the handlebars, a nightclub-style “air-writer” LED device for leaving bon mots trailing in its wake and a high-end sound system.

The Toilet Bike Neo Project is part of the Toto Green Challenge initiative to promote the firm’s goal aim of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in its customers’ bathrooms (again, say what?) in half by 2017.

Throughout October, the portable pooper will travel 1,000 kilometers across Japan from a Toto factory in Kyushu to its final resting point in Tokyo.

It’s stopping along the way to spread the word about the energy conservation methods that Toto promotes, such as the company's high-efficiency toilets.

Any kids undergoing toilet training should stay away from the front of the Toilet Bike Neo, as the talking commode on the handlebars is more than a little scary, yapping out fortunes, stock quotes and other snippets no one wants to hear right now.

Still, the message is a sound one and the mobile latrine’s photo blog is one of the more unusual Japan travel diaries we’ve seen -- perhaps it’ll one day inspire a new generation of eco-warriors to rise up and festoon the nation in two-ply.

Jane Leung is a Hong Kong-born Canadian who has dabbled in the mixed media bag of film and television production, the professional sports industry and magazine publishing.

Innovation and Ambition at the EyeforEnergy UK and Europe Waste Technology Summit

2011-10-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

The First Aannual Waste Technology Summit took place at the Regents Park Marriott hotel in London on the 4th – 5th October 2011. It included a site visit to the Lakeside Energy from Waste plant, and a range of speakers covering key novel and proven technology types for waste management applications. These applications ranged from waste treatment for energy recovery, materials recovery, fuel preparation and techniques to derive chemical feedstocks.

The following report is provided by Paul Frith of Frith Resource Management.

The summit included speakers covering the following technology types:-

* Energy from waste (Sita)
* Gas Plasma (Advanced Plasma Power)
* Anaerobic Digestion (Hot Rot Solutions)
* Mechanical Heat Treatment (EVRS)
* Pyrolysis (Enval)
* Gasification (Waste2tricity)
* Incinerator Bottom Ash treatment and recovery (Rock Solid BV)
* Processes for Deriving Chemicals from Waste (Solvert), and
* Processes for Recycling Plastics Waste Into Food Grade Bottles (Nextek Ltd)

The diversity of technical solutions to waste management challenges appear broad, and one aspect that was made clear from the presentations is substantial innovation and ambition in evidence to both help meet our waste management challenges and provide resources back into the UK economy.

It is also clear however that there remain major challenges to delivery of waste technology ranging from the planning risks of Energy from Waste plant through to bankability risks and blockages for various new technology solutions. In some regards it was ever thus, but at present there are more recent (and ongoing) nuances, notably relating to the uncertainty of the Localism agenda and the risk aversion of banks.

It is a far more complex picture than this however, and some of the key messages from day 1 of the conference are included here.

Sita

Stuart Hayward Highman explained the openness with which they were exploring and partnering for the development of new technologies, in addition to their existing Energy from Waste (EfW) infrastructure. This was tempered by a caution over risk and finance, however Sita are actively involved in expanding the use of landfill gas in vehicles (including deals with Tesco and Sainsbury’s for their vehicle fleets) for which a limiting factor is the effectiveness of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) subsidy, which delivers less income than the equivalent Government support mechanism for electricity generation, the Renewables Obligation.

Furthermore, it involves greater effort to deliver a fuel that meets the RTFO than convert energy to electricity and meet the RO through waste treatment technologies. In this context, and it was a message reiterated during his talk, the UK Government incentives for renewable energy do not adequately promote the ‘most sustainable’ option, but rather seem to bias towards electricity generation (which often yields a lower efficiency environmental return). This was a concern for Sita, which sees new technologies as offering a better environmental solution when waste is used as a feedstock for liquid and gaseous fuels rather than burned for electricity generation.

In this context, Mr Hayward Highman explained their new developments with end of life plastics at Avonmouth, which converts the waste stream through an advanced thermal treatment process into diesel, and recent developments in Anaerobic Digestion at Sita.

He also outlined future planned developments including the hope of testing a static hydrogen fuel cell technology. Where technology risk is a factor in financing Sita has used its balance sheet to facilitate investment in new technologies where appropriate, and sees a range of technical solutions available in the market for managing waste.

Advanced Plasma Power (APP)

Rolf Stein delivered a presentation on the activities of APP, utilising their plasma gasification process. This technology initially prepares the waste through mechanical separation of non-combustibles from the input waste stream and gasifies the resultant (prepared) fuel feedstock using a conventional gasification process. The output syngas and ash is then passed to a second chamber containing the plasma process. The high temperature / UV light cracks the syngas to generate a cleaner gas suitable (after acid gas scrubbing) for combustion in a gas engine (without he informa us, the inherent fouling problems associated with conventional gasification). Furthermore, the ash is vitrified into a glassy residue with the trade name ‘Plasmarok’, which may have value as an inert ‘product’. Mr Stein also cited the potential innovation of spinning the vitrified residue into ‘Rockwool’ type insulation applications.

APP are also processing the excavations from a Belgian landfill (containing auto-shredder residues and Commercial / Industrial wastes) through the Plasma Gasification process. A typical scale proposed for an APP Plasma Power plant for mixed wastes would be ~150ktpa input for mechanical sorting and preparation, in order to deliver ~90ktpa of fuel for the thermal process. This scale of plant would cover a footprint of ~10,000m2.

EVRS (Mechanical Heat Treatment)

Martin Osment explained the EVRS process for utilising mechanical heat treatment technology to derive usable materials from a mixed waste stream. This process mechanically sorts out the glass / aggregate, metals and plastics fractions from the waste stream leaving a predominantly cellulose based feedstock for the autoclave vessel.

The EVRS was described as unique in adding additives and catalysts to the input waste to homogenise the waste and tailor it to an appropriate output specification. This can include dyeing the waste in order to deliver an output of appropriate colour for a particular user. The process is claimed to deliver 99.99% pure cellulose fibre (known as Zystur© fibre), and the technology is marketed towards, commercial and municipal waste streams. The usage of the fibre (which is a pale straw colour) is cited as an insulation material or for use in ‘soft landing’ applications, there was also the potential for use in paper making.

The technology has been demonstrated at lab scale and at a small demonstration plant and it was stated that the process had no emissions to land, air or water. It is a scalable technology with commercial sized facilities beginning at ~6ktpa upwards, with standard vessels of 50ktpa, allowing multiples to be placed on one site in order to deliver larger scale facilities.

Nextek (Waste Polymer Sorting)

Ed Kosior delivered a fascinating talk around the issues with sorting / reprocessing the more ‘difficult’ plastic polymers. He focussed particularly on the black plastics (e.g. some food trays), seeking to attain food grade polypropylene and the recycling of plastic films.

As regards black plastics it was evident that optical sorters used in materials recycling facilities (MRFs) or plastics sorting facilities, could not differentiate the plastic polymers of these materials because the carbon black within the plastic absorbed the near infra red (NIR) light that is used to bounce off of plastics to determine their composition. In tests, Nextek changed the dye within the black plastic to an organic black dye, which did not absorb the light rays. After a re-program of the optical sorting software, the equipment was able to both see and sort the black plastic, enabling effective separation for recycling.

Delivering food grade polypropylene (PP) was considered a major challenge for the industry. One reason for this is the tendency for PP bottles to be used for bleach, detergents, shampoos and other non foodstuff with potentially toxic contents. However, using a dedicated hand-picking / sorting line, it was possible to deliver a food grade PP recyclate stream with around 50% of the mixed PP considered appropriate for this application. This approach has yet to reach commercialisation.

Mr Kosior also explained that laboratory tests have shown that it is possible to deliver 100% recycled plastic film, although in the current market much lower levels of recycled content are usually used because of issues with organics contaminating the recyclate stream. This is another area that is progressing in terms of commercialisation.

In questions and answers, Mr Kosior discussed how many times PET and HDPE bottles could be recycled ‘though the loop’ before degrading. For PET bottles the main issue, he stated, is discolouration after one recycling stage. It is possible to add brighteners to the plastic, in which case they could potentially be recycled ~5 times.

For HDPE bottles, the limiting factor was the amount of antioxidant within the plastic, again around 5 times recycling was possible if more antioxidant was available. He speculated that if more antioxidant were added to the material at the start of its life then the ‘recycling life’ could be extended.

Conclusion

The 1st EyeforEnergy Waste Technology Summit was notable for the high quality of the speakers from Waste Technology Companies, and it was your reviewer's view that this conference was unique in attracting industry speakers not seen at other recent events, each of which came with with new and promising marketable technologies which commissioning clients in the public and commercial sectors will be very interested in.

Find out more about Frith Resource Management at www.frithrm.com .

Recent Developments in UK Residual Waste Treatment

2011-10-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

Readers of this blog who are interested in how the expansion in the UK waste management industry which has included the push toward the use of Anaerobic Digestion as biogas/ renewable energy source, can read about these recent developments and the drivers behind them in the article which can be seen by ckicking the link below:

Recent Developments in UK Residual Waste Treatment

Food waste plan for old colliery - BBC News

2011-10-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

11 September 2011 Last updated at 09:32 The plant will turn food waste into biogas to produce electricity and also fertiliser for farms Plans have been drawn up for a plant in the Swansea Valley capable of turning food waste from over 350,000 homes into electricity and fertiliser.

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(Video and article are not related.)

A formal planning application is expected in October for the anaerobic digestion facility at Pwllfawatkin, north of Pontardawe.

It would run on food waste collected in Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea.

The company behind it, Waste Recycling Group Ltd, plans a public exhibition.

It has been talks with Neath Port Talbot Council, which will assess the planning bid at the former Abernant Colliery, for several months.

Mike Bullard, project director from Waste Recycling Group, said the plant would use micro-organisms to break down biodegradable food waste in order to produce fertiliser and biogas which will be used to generate electricity.

Continue reading the main story

The proposed facility has the potential to contribute significantly towards meeting the challenges and targets set out by the Welsh Government in relation to climate change, energy security, waste reduction and resource management”

End Quote Mike Bullard Waste Recycling Group The 2.3 MW facility would have the potential to generate enough electricity to meet the demands of approximately 5,000 homes.

It would have the capacity to process around 52,000 tonnes of food waste each year.

Most of that would come from weekly food waste collections by the five county councils.

Mr Bullard said: "The proposed facility has the potential to contribute significantly towards meeting the challenges and targets set out by the Welsh Government in relation to climate change, energy security, waste reduction and resource management.

"It would generate electricity and heat from the processing of food waste from households, as well as food waste from businesses, and has the potential to meet the energy needs of approximately 5,000 homes.

"A nutrient rich liquid fertiliser will also be produced, which will then be available for use by farmers to help cultivate agricultural land."

He said the company would hold a public exhibition at a date yet to be fixed so people living nearby could find out more before the planning application was submitted next month.

Mike Roberts, head of street care services at Neath Port Talbot, said the council was working with its four counterparts to secure a regional anaerobic digestion facility to treat household food waste from south west Wales.

"The procurement process is ongoing and a number of bids and associated site locations are currently under consideration. The final short list is yet to be agreed," he said.

A much smaller plant capable of dealing with 15,000 tonnes of food waste has been given the go ahead near Clynnog in Gwynedd.

Flintshire, Conwy and Denbighshire councils aim to open one at a former abattoir in St Asaph by 2013.

Police are investigating the sudden death of a man whose body was discovered in a river on the Carmarthenshire-Pembrokeshire border.

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View the original article here

EBRD Lends 5.0 Mln Euro to Croatia's Agrokor for Biogas Power Plant - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

2011-10-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

ZAGREB (Croatia), September 15 (SeeNews) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Thursday it is providing a 5.0 million euro ($6.9 million) loan to Croatian concern Agrokor to support the construction of a combined heat and power generation plant that will use biogas as primary fuel.

The proceeds of the EBRD loan will be used to purchase and install the biogas power plant, and sterilisation and water purification equipment, the EBRD said in a press release.

The project is expected to be completed by September 2012 and will be in full compliance with EU environmental regulations.

Located in Gradec, 40 kilometres outside the capital Zagreb, the plant will be fuelled by organic waste, by-products of Agrokor's food production process. It will have a generation capacity of 1.0 megawatts (MW) of electricity, which will be supplied to Croatia's power grid, and also a 1.0 MW of heat capacity.

The construction of the biogas facility in Gradec is the first step in Agrokor's strategic plans to develop similar projects, with a total generation capacity of up to 30 MW, the statement said.

The EBRD has a long-standing cooperation with the privately-held Agrokor, having previously supported a variety of the company's investments in Croatia and neighbouring countries. The biogas facility in Gradec is financed under the bank's Agribusiness Sustainable Investment Facility.

Since the beginning of its operations in Croatia, the bank has committed over 2.5 billion euro to the country's economy. The EBRD funds mobilised additional investment of 4.0 billion euro in various sectors of the Croatian economy.

($ = 0.7246 euro)

View the original article here

ENERGY: Regulators reduce wind, biogas subsidies for on-site generators - North County Times

2011-10-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

Residents and businesses looking to install wind power, fuel cells or other alternative electricity generators - but not solar power - will get lower subsidies after a decision made this week by the California Public Utilities Commission.

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The new rules apply to the Self-Generation Incentive Program, which provides subsidies to businesses and residents who install power generators on their own property. The new rules require new generation projects to reduce to the net production of global warming-causing gases such as carbon dioxide in order to be eligible for the subsidy. They also reduce the subsidies by as much as half, depending on the technology in question.

"Today's decision represents a team effort between the California Air Resources Board and the CPUC as we strive to reach goals of achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020," said commission president Michael Peevey in a written statement issued Thursday.

A 2006 state law established a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

Under the rules for the program, applicants must show that proposed generation reduces the amount of net greenhouse gases produced compared with the amount of greenhouse gases produced from normal electricity generation. The exact amount of reduction was left open for a future decision after the commissioners disagreed with staff's method of calculation.

The commission also ruled that some technologies had become popular enough that subsidies could be reduced. Wind turbines will now be eligible for $1.25 per watt, down from $1.50 per watt; fuel cells, which produce electricity from natural gas without burning it, will be eligible for $1.25 per watt, half the previous subsidy; and biogas generators, which are fueled by methane from sewage and landfills, will see no reduction in a $2 per watt subsidy, but companies must buy it on a 10-year contract, twice as long as before.

The new rules require businesses applying to undergo an energy audit, which will highlight areas where the applicants could make better use of their electricity, before they receive a subsidy.

Call staff writer Eric Wolff at 760-303-1927 or follow him on Twitter at NCTRealEstate.

View the original article here

GE's China Ideas Bank Includes Use of Biogas

2011-10-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

BEIJING—General Electric Co. Wednesday opened a $100 million contest in China to fund innovative gas-energy projects, similar to the company's previous innovation programs in the U.S.

GE is launching its "Ecomagination Challenge" in China along with seven venture-capital partners, together providing $100 million to back innovations in gas power, including natural gas, biogas, shale gas and coal-bed methane gas.

Speaking at a news briefing, Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt said GE expects revenue from its energy business in China to grow ...

BEIJING—General Electric Co. Wednesday opened a $100 million contest in China to fund innovative gas-energy projects, similar to the company's previous innovation programs in the U.S.

Speaking at a news briefing, Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt said GE expects revenue from its energy business in China to grow ...

View the original article here

New biogasoline made by Madison company passes critical test - Madison.com

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Virent Energy Systems' biogasoline has passed a major road test.

A trial conducted by Royal Dutch Shell, one of Virent's collaborators, tested five identical pairs of late-model European cars. Each car was driven more than 6,000 miles during 2010. One set ran on regular Shell gasoline; the other set was fueled with Shell gas blended with Virent's biogas.

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(Video and bog are not related.)

When the engines were dismantled and inspected after the trial, all 10 cars were in the same condition. That means Virent's biogas, made from plant sugars instead of crude oil, caused no harm.

"The Shell road trial results are encouraging and an important step forward in the commercialization of (Virent's) process," said Virent chief executive Lee Edwards, in a news release Tuesday.

View the original article here

Nestlé: green waste treatment plans given go-ahead - ConfectioneryNews.com

2011-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Nestlé: green waste treatment plans given go-ahead Post a commentBy Lynda Searby, 24-Aug-2011

Nestlé’s plans to build an anaerobic digestion plant for treating waste at its Fawdon site in Newcastle, UK, have been given the green light by planners.

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The facility will receive all of the solid food waste and waste water generated by the factory, which makes much of the Rowntree range, including fruit gums and pastilles, as well as a number of other confectionery lines such as Caramac, Rolo, Munchies, After Eight Bitesize, Matchmakers, Drifter, Blue Riband and Breakaway.

The plant will treat 80,000 cubic metres of factory waste water annually to generate biogas that can be used to heat/power the factory and facilitate the recycling of ‘grey’ water back into factory processes. It will also recover energy from the 1,200 tonnes of waste food that arises from the confectionery production operation, of which 500 tonnes is currently sent to landfill and 700 tonnes ends up as animal feed.

The process will leave a residue of about 200 tonnes a year, which is rich in nutrients and can be used as an agricultural fertiliser.

The planners at Newcastle City Council who approved the scheme, said: “The proposals will result in less waste being required to be transferred to landfill sites and will equally decrease the amount of energy that is used by the factory from non-renewable sources... the proposals will benefit the business by using energy and water more efficiently, culminating in lower costs, reduced emissions and improved environmental performance and compliance.”

A Nestlé spokesperson told ConfectioneryNews.com: “We are delighted that Newcastle City Council has supported Nestlé Fawdon by approving the application for this facility. This project supports Nestlé’s commitment to sustainable manufacturing in the UK with Fawdon taking lead. In addition, the factory has recently planted a wild flower meadow within the factory grounds, creating a mini wildlife sanctuary with the aim of attracting many species of butterfly back to the area.”

Anaerobic digestion is a process in which micro-organisms break down degradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is widely used to treat industrial waste water and is now seen as a renewable energy source. An efficient anaerobic process produces biogas (methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide). This biogas can be used to generate heat and/or electricity. The process also negates the need for waste to be transferred to landfill.

View the original article here

Research and Markets: Biogas Power in Italy, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 ... - SunHerald.com

2011-10-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

DUBLIN -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4a2cea/biogas_power_in_it) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Biogas Power in Italy, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles" to their offering.

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"Biogas Power in Italy, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles" is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information on the biogas power market. The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global biogas power market with forecasts up to 2020.

The report analyzes the power market outlook in country (includes thermal conventional, hydro and renewables) and provides forecasts up to 2020. The research details renewable power market outlook in Italy (includes wind, biopower and solar PV) and provides forecasts up to 2020. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2001 to 2020 in Italy biogas power market. The research also showcases top active and upcoming plants in the country. A detailed coverage on renewable energy policy framework governing the market along with policies specific to biogas power development in Italy are provided in the report.

The research analyzes investment trends in the biogas power market in Italy and some of the major deals pertaining to the market are dealt in detail. The report also provides elaborate company profiles of some of the major market participants. The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.

Scope

The scope of the report includes:

Companies Mentioned:

EnviTec Biogas AG Elettrostudio SpA MT-ENERGIE Italia Srl agriKomp GmbH

View the original article here See also www.anaerobic-digestion.com

GEN ELEC : GE Gas Engine Technology Powers Hungary's Largest Biogas Plant - 4-traders (press release)

2011-09-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

14 September 2011

GE Gas Engine Technology Powers Hungary's Largest Biogas Plant

Fuel-Flexible Gas Engines as European Nations Seek to Comply with Environmental and Energy Efficiency Mandates

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(GE please put up a video!!!)

JENBACH, AUSTRIA. September 14, 2011. Energy industry officials yesterday gathered near a large poultry processing plant in the city of Szarvas for the formal opening of Hungary's largest biogas power plant. Powered by three of GE's (NYSE: GE) ecomagination-qualified, JenbacherJ416 biogas engines, the combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) plant generates 4.2 megawatts of renewable electricity and an equal amount of thermal energy to support the plant?s onsite operations as well as the local grid. Szarvas is located 170 kilometers (105 miles) southeast of Budapest.

The new CCHP plant was built by the German company r.e Bioenergie GmbH, a subsidiary of BayWa r.e GmbH. The energy developer is running the plant in close cooperation with the poultry processing plant operator Gallicoop Pulykafeldolgoz Zrt. Gallicoop provides a large amount of the raw biomass that is converted into the biogas that powers the Jenbacher engines. The biogas is created through the anaerobic digestion of an annual total of 22,500 tons of turkey and cow manure, 31,000 tons of pig slurry, 47,480 tons of mixed
waste (slaughterhouse waste, whey and wastewater sludge) and 18,000 tons of sweet sorghum.

The anaerobic digestion facility is located approximately four kilometers (km) east of the poultry processing plant. To optimize the efficiency of the thermal energy, a special pipeline delivers the biogas from the digester facility to the Jenbacher engines at the processing plant. The CCHP system's thermal power is then used to supply on-site heating and cooling. Any excess electricity is fed into the local grid. Our new biogas power plant illustrates the increasingly important role that biogas will play as Hungary seeks to expand its production of alternative energy in order to comply with the European Union's 20/20/20 initiative to generate 20 percent of the continent's energy from renewable sources by 2020, said r.e Bioenergie GmbH Managing Director Ludwig Dinkloh, who oversees international business for the company. However, only projects that maximize efficiency with a sophisticated heat concept, such as our Szarvas biogas project, provide a sustainable business model.

Agricultural waste is a key industrial source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. However, by digesting the biomass and using the resulting biogas in the Jenbacher units, less of the gas is free to escape into the atmosphere. Also, the valuable, nutrient-rich digester residue is used as a high-quality fertilizer, replacing the use of artificial fertilizers on several thousand hectares of farmland. GE has seen an increased demand for its fuel-flexible gas engines to help customers throughout Europe generate their own onsite power and heat to meet their increasingly stringent environmental and energy efficiency goals.

Our Jenbacher gas engines use the biogas generated from organic waste as a valuable source of energy, allowing us to offer our customers a powerful, cost-effective way of producing energy, said Rafael Santana, president and CEO?Gas Engines for GE Energy. These engines also allow us to make a considerable contribution to the country's larger initiative by reducing the equivalent of more than 10,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year at the largest biogas project in Hungary. GE operates a regional Jenbacher gas engines sales and services center that is co-located with GE's heavy gas turbine manufacturing plant in the city of Veresegyh'z, 30 kilometers northeast of Budapest. The center is ideally positioned to help municipal and private customers in Hungary and other central European countries comply with European Union directives to boost regional energy efficiency levels by modernizing local district heating systems and expanding alternative energy production.

Since 1989, GE has been one of the most significant multinationals operating in Hungary. Today, all five GE core businesses are active in the country. GE is the largest U.S. investor and employer in Hungary with more than 13,000 people and also is one of the country?s biggest exporters. About GE's ecomagination GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, 115 ecomagination-qualified products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation.

The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. As part of the initiative, GE launched GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid, a $200 million financial commitment challenging innovators to join in developing clean energy technologies. It is extending this Challenge with the GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering Your Home, to develop technologies that help households manage their energy usage. For more information, visit the ecomagination website at http://ge.ecomagination.com/index.html.

About GE GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world?s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com. GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation.

The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas?work together with more than 90,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels andnew grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.

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German Weltec Biopower completes fifth biogas project in Czech Republic - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

2011-09-30T02:50:00.000-07:00

(SeeNews Renewables) - Sep 16, 2011 - German green energy solutions developer Weltec Biopower has finished its fifth biogas power plant in the Czech Republic, after four months of construction and approval by the responsible authorities.

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The foundation was laid in March, followed by the installation of the 2,500 cu m stainless steel fermenter, the cogenerator and the 35 cu m vertical batcher. The biogas processing equipment came in May and the test operations started in June, when the plant also received regulatory approval.

The plant's 366 kW gas engine feeds electricity into the grid. The facility runs on agricultural substrates and manure from the nearby farms. The investors received financial support from the EU fund for both environmental issues and rural and agricultural development.

The Czech government sets top priority on green energy production and by 2015 biomass should provide the bigger share of it. This moves players from the country and abroad to invest in the sector. [ http://anaerobic-digestion.com ]

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Google backs biogas project - BioEnergy News

2011-09-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

Google backs biogas project - 13 September 2011

The waste from 9,000 pigs will be used to produce electricity and cut CO2 emissions

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In North Carolina, US, Duke University and electric and gas service provider Duke Energy, have developed a renewable energy project with the help of search engine Google. The project creates electricity from pig excrement.

The biogas plant has been set up at the Yadkinville-based Loyd Ray Farms, which is home to 9,000 pigs.

Duke Energy and the university have invested $1.2 million (€880,000 million) in the project to date, however Google's investment has not been divulged.

Originally proposed almost three years ago, the project also received grants from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Lagoon Conversion Program.

The plant will slash CO2 emissions by 5,000 tonnes a year – the same as removing 900 cars from the road.

Both Duke Energy and Duke University will cover the costs of operating and maintaining the plant for the first 10 years that it is online. Google will cover a percentage of the university's costs in return for some of the carbon offsets for a five-year period.

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Ground breaks on biogas plant - Lethbridge Herald

2011-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 13 August 2011 02:01 - Katie May - LETHBRIDGE HERALD

Construction has begun on a new plant that will turn manure into electricity.

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Crews broke ground on Friday to build southern Alberta's first biogas plant at Lethbridge's northside Rave Industrial Park, where nearly 160,000 tonnes of liquid organic waste is expected to generate heat and 2.85 megawatts of electricity each year - enough to power 2,500 homes.

The $30-million project has been in the works for the past 10 years at ECB Enviro North America Inc. The company has partnered with St. Catharines, Ont.-based PlanEt Biogas Solutions Inc., which has built five biogas plants across Canada, to form Lethbridge Biogas LP.
ECB President Thane Hurlburt said the plant, when it starts production in January 2013, will use an Alberta-developed thermal hydrolysis technology that's "never been done anywhere in the world," to get rid of any infectious diseases present in the animal waste so the final product can be safely used for fertilizer.
The plant will collect animal and vegetable waste from farmers, industrial food plants and restaurants throughout Lethbridge County and in Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass to convert into fertilizer pellets, liquid fertilizer and electricity. In doing so, the plant will save a projected 45,000 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide emissions per year and the power it generates will be sold back to the provincial grid.
"We have more than enough hog and dairy manure (locally) to feed the whole plant," Hurlburt said. "If you could gather every last ounce of manure and do nothing but put it through plants like this that generate electricity, we could generate 400 megawatts just within this county."
That would be enough to power 400,000 homes.
The company plans to hire about 10 people to work at the plant, directly affecting the local economy.
Cheryl Dick, the City of Lethbridge's economic development officer, said apart from those financial gains, the plant could make Lethbridge a leader in the field of renewable energy.
We believe eventually this is going to become the kind of demonstration site that can help these types of electrical power generators expand right across western Canada," she said.
Alberta has one other biogas plant, based in Vegreville, but the relative novelty of the industry in the province put up some roadblocks for the company in working toward plant construction over the past decade.
Hurlburt said all levels of government have been "unbelievably supportive of this whole process" and provided some funding, but they faced challenges in permitting the project because some elements of planned operations are similar to natural gas plants and other parts are more like those of waste treatment plants.
"But they can't open a book and say, 'oh, here's how we do a biogas plant,' because they don't have that in the book," Hurlburt said. "That's what took the time, from their perspective, to figure out how they'd put this all together."
The county is glad the project is finally going ahead, according to County of Lethbridge Reeve Lorne Hickey.
"The biggest thing to us at the county is it's a new source of power and it's a green source of power. We're trying to reduce emissions, so that's just a great thing to occur," he said.
Hickey predicted the plant's operations will make a big difference to local farmers, who could do more with less land once they have a place to dispose of their waste.
"You're really getting the best of both worlds here," he said. "You're going to be able to get rid of (waste) that you would require more land base to spread over and you're also going to be able to get fertilizer back. It's definitely a win-win situation for everybody involved."Please login first to manage your favorite pages.

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Hungarian biogas CHP plant opens - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

2011-09-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hungary’s largest biogas power plant was officially opened on 13 September in the city of Szarvas, where it will provide 4.2 MW of electricity and an equal amount of heat, supporting onsite operations and feeding the local grid.

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(It is not clear whether this video is for the same power plant as in the article.)

German company r.e Bioenergie built the combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) plant, which features three Jenbacher J416 engines supplied by GE.

The plant is being run in close co-operation with the poultry processing plant operator Gallicoop Pulykafeldolgozó, which provides much of the raw biomass that is converted into biogas to power the Jenbacher engines.

The anaerobic digestion facility is about 4 km east of the poultry processing plant. To optimize the efficiency of the thermal energy, a special pipeline delivers the biogas from the digester facility to the Jenbacher engines at the processing plant.

The CCHP system’s thermal power is then used to supply on-site heating and cooling. Any excess electricity is fed into the local grid.

For more biomass news click here

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Poop Fuels Hydrogen Cars - msnbc.com

2011-09-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Clean fuel from sewage!

Steve Zylius / University of California-Irvine - National Fuel Cell Research Center associate director Jack Brouwer at the new "sewage-to-hydrogen" fuel pump. By John Roach, contributing writer at msnbc.com.

An experimental fuel cell at a wastewater treatment plant in California is turning poop flushed down the drain into hydrogen fuel for cars.

More gas

The new system at the Orange County Sanitation District'sFountain Valley sewage treatment plant is fed more biogas than it needs for electricity generation. The excess hydrogen produced when mixed with the hot steam is siphoned off for refueling cars.

"We discovered that by doing that we actually substantially increased the efficiency of the fuel cell so that it produces more energy per unit of fuel going in and it allows that hydrogen to be generated for refueling at almost no energy cost," Samuelson said.

The current system uses a 300-kilowatt fuel cell, though the same type of fuel cell is deployed elsewhere at 1.2, 2.4 and 5.6 megawatts, he noted. So, the process is scalable.

In fact, the so-called tri-generation technology (heat, electricity and hydrogen) should work just as well at landfills as wastewater treatment plants. If so, the collective piles of human waste could "power more than 30 percent of the automobile population" in Southern California, Samuelson noted.

Hydrogen clusters

The novel technology at the Orange County Sanitation District seems fitting for the once-lauded hydrogen highway of the future that has evolved into a series of clusters.

Already, several hundred hydrogen cars are on the road and by 2015 big name automakers such as Mercedes, Honda and Chevrolet plan to have some 50,000 hydrogen-powered deployed in southern California.

Instead of putting hydrogen fueling stations up and down and between the coasts, the government-subsidized industry is putting filling stations where people will buy and drive the cars, explained Chris White, a spokeswoman for the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

"You probably go to the same two or three stations most of the time. We look at the same thing for these fuel cell vehicles," she told me today. "Where do people live, work and play?"
That's where they put what are now called the clusters and one of these clusters is in Orange County, where the new station will officially open on August 16.

"The fact that it's also making hydrogen from sewage is an awesome, awesome, bonus," White added. "We talk about running out of fuel one day, I can tell you we are never going to run out of fuel that's made from [sewage]." [The equipment and methods used are known as anaerobic digesters.]

More on hydrogen cars:

Funding for this $8 million to $9 million project was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Air Resources Boardand the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The station was designed by the University of California, Irvine, FuelCell Energy Inc., and Air Products and Chemicals Inc.
John Roachis a contributing writer for msnbc.com.

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Research and Markets: Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020 - Capacity ... - Business Wire (press release)

2011-09-22T01:31:00.000-07:00

August 31, 2011 07:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c98ac0/biogas_power_in_sp) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles" to their offering.

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“Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information on the biogas power market.”

"Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information on the biogas power market.

The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global biogas power market with forecasts up to 2020. The report analyzes the power market outlook in country (includes thermal conventional, hydro and renewables) and provides forecasts up to 2020. The research details renewable power market outlook in Spain (includes wind, biopower and solar PV) and provides forecasts up to 2020.

The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.

The Scope of the Report Includes:

Brief introduction and overview on global carbon emissions and global energy consumption. Historical data provided from 2001 to 2010 and forecasts until 2020. Overview on the overall renewable power market in the world, highlighting the fuel types - wind, solar PV, solar thermal, biogas and biomass. Detailed overview on the global biogas power market with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020. Power market scenario in Spain with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020, highlighting fuel types such as thermal conventional, hydro and renewables. Renewable power market scenario in Spain with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020, highlighting fuel types such as wind, biomass and solar PV. Spain biogas power installed capacity and generation trends to 2020 Major active and upcoming plants in the country. Deal volume and value analysis of Spain biogas power market. Deals analyzed on the basis of M&A, Partnership, Asset Financing, Debt Offering, Equity Offering and PE/VC. Elaborate profiling of some of the major market participants. Companies Mentioned:

Endesa, S.A. CESPA, S.A. CLP Envirogas Ltd entec biogas gmbh Turbomach SA

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c98ac0/biogas_power_in_sp

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

View the original article here

Ruhamya Dispels Fears About Cost of Biogas Installation - Middle East North Africa Financial Network

2011-09-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Ruhamya Dispels Fears About Cost of Biogas Installation

Sep 06, 2011 (The New Times/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- As the campaign to promote the use of biogas for cooking and lighting intensifies, concerns are being raised over the cost of installation and maintenance.

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Fixing the smallest plant of biogas costs Rwf 600,000, according to Timothy Kayumba, who heads the National Domestic Biogas Program.

Daniel Muganga, a resident of Ndera in Gasabo says; "We are willing to use biogas, but the price of installation should be reduced so that we can all benefit."

Eng. Coletha Ruhamya, the Minister of State for Energy and Water, told The New Times that the government had launched an incentive to lend Frw300,000 to anyone willing to install the system.

The money is then refunded within a period of three years.

"Sure, there is a big problem in affordability of the biogas plant, but the government currently contributes Rwf300,000 to every citizen wishing to install the energy," the Minister said, adding that the Ministry is also looking into more affordable biogas-systems.

Meanwhile, Kayumba disclosed that the ministry had seconded a qualified technician to every two districts countrywide to approve the safety of any newly installed plant before use.

They also sensitise citizens on the sustainable use and maintenance of the systems.

Kigali-based Lycee de Kigali Secondary School is one of the users of the biogas system. Martin Masabo, the director of the school says that some users are hampered by lack of the qualified technicians.

"For instance, our system was constructed in 1999 when the expertise here was low; it started leaking after using it for a short while and we closed it down," he says.

Kayumba, however, said that companies that install the plants are required to provide their clients with a one-year warranty.

He clarifies that a well constructed plant should have a minimum lifespan of 30 years.

Over 1,300 homes have acquired biogas, in addition to various institutions including schools and prisons.

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Scalene Greenergy makes fuel from waste - Malaysia Star

2011-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

One company is making waves in renewable energy circles with its low-cost organic fuel technology.

THE late Tun Ghafar Baba was known for his folksy politics. His speeches were simple but he delivered the messages with dry humour and blunt irony. Among his pet peeves were slothful farmers and wasteful expanses of idle land in rural areas.

Tongue in cheek, the former Deputy Prime Minister used to chide villagers: ?You too can be rich, if we can just find a market for all this lalang (weed grass) and keladi bunting (water hyacinth) around you,?

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Ghafar, the country?s longest serving MP (Jasin and Batu Berendam) passed away in 2006 at the age of 76 ? not realising the current value of lalang and water hyacinth ? as organic feed to produce clean, renewable energy.

Power from weeds: Water hyacinth is a key component feed for the Serigas energy plant in Bangalore, India. The plant processes the common weed and other organic wastes to produce methane biofuel.

He would have been amazed that a variety of weeds along with waste from farms, kitchens, slaughterhouses and even humans, are now being turned into highly purified combustible natural gas that can be used for cooking, power electric turbines and even as fuel for vehicles.

Scalene Greenergy Corporation in India, has developed an organic fuel technology that can be utilised at a relatively low cost.

The company is currently making waves in the renewable energy circles with a continuous stream of visitors from all over the world to its 670sqm gas energy plant, located within its research campus in Bangalore.

Biogas is the result of the anaerobic digestion (decomposition without oxygen) of organic matter. It usually comprises methane and carbon dioxide, with traces of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen.

It is not something new. Assyrians used biogas to heat bath water as early as in the 10th century. In the 17th century, Belgian chemist Jan Baptita Van Helmont discovered that decaying organic matter produced flammable gases. Italy?s Count Alessandro Volta noticed the link between the amount of decaying organic matter and flammable gas produced. British scientist Sir Humphry Davy found out that cow dung emitted methane.

In rural India, where biogas or gobar (Hindi for cow dung) gas is widely used as cooking fuel, the first anaerobic digestion plant was built 152 years ago, in a Bombay (now Mumbai) leper colony. But since then, except for newer construction materials, piping and such, there has been very little change in the process and also not much difference in the quality of the gas.

?It has largely remained a simple technology. Bacteria digest the organic matter and produce biogas,? said Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, chairman and chief executive officer of Scalene Greenergy Corporation Ltd and Scalene Cybernetics.

Besides the low efficiency gas (55% to 65% methane), the basic system also produces carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, a corrosive gas, resulting in pumps breaking down frequently.

Kumar, a researcher in biophysics, nanotechnology and sustainable energy, together with members of his Scalene Energy Research Institute (Seri) team, have developed a process to produce high-purity combustible gas, trade marked as Serigas.

Today, as much as 200kg of Serigas can be produced from one tonne of organic waste ? between 30% to 60% more than from existing systems.

The bioreactors used to process waste and harness biogas can be scaled down for use in offices, homes and small communities.

Improved systems

Nine years of research has resulted in several scientific breakthroughs, like the Serigas bioreactor, which converts any biodegradable material into biomethane (up to 98% pure methane).

A significant part of the process is the microbe incubated bioreactor, designed to completely digest a very wide range of biomass, including lignin cellulose and hemi cellulose, within 10 to 24 days. For a long-time, lignin has been the single biggest technical bio-processing barrier to cellulosic biofuels because it is very difficult and costly to separate lignin from cellulose.

A fuel enrichment technology called ?spiral protium accelerating reactor super enrichment? (Sparse), meanwhile, is a combustion booster innovation that reduces fuel consumption of electricity generators by 50%. One kilogramme of refined Serigas can generate 6.5 units of electricity using the Sparse technology. Without Sparse, the power produced is only 3.5 units.

?Serigas has similar properties to fossil natural gas but without the undesirable impurities like butane, propane, pentane and CO2. Our highly controlled biological reaction has a very low cost of installation compared to other biogas, solar and wind energy systems,? Kumar said.

Computers of the bioreactors monitor parameters such as pH levels, temperature, humidity, hydraulic retention, carbon-hydrogen ratio and correct measures automatically.

Serigas can also be used in conventional diesel generators with minimum modifications.

The generators at Scalene?s power plant are fully computerised to work on input from readings on air-fuel variations, engine speeds, oxygen sensors and the spark ignition system. They produce no harmful emissions, except for water vapour.

Besides the gas, the other output of the plant is the 98% digested substance of the organic feed ? between 2% and 4 % solid and the rest liquid. This is turned into a high-grade fertiliser and alkaloids-rich pest repellent liquid.

As a cooking fuel, Serigas has the efficiency of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and safety of firewood, besides being the cheapest cooking gas. It can be delivered through domestic gas pipes and conventional gas cylinders.

The high calorific value of Serigas is also comparable to that of LPG, making it an excellent automotive fuel that produces no carbon monoxide and other polluting gases. Serigas can be compressed into 200kg to 250kg canisters for large vehicles and from 20kg to 30kg canisters for smaller vehicles and motorcycles.

Malaysian partnership

Incidentally, it was a Malaysian who got Kumar involved in renewable energy. Dr Ramesan Pillay, who had undergone multiple angiograms, got to know Kumar ? inventor of the Haemoseis 256 machine, a three-dimensional solution for cardiovascular assessment, diagnosis, management and prognosis ? through a mutual friend. The non-evasive machine that provides crucial physiological data is among the medical devices developed by Centre for Advanced Research and Development (CARD) ? a division of Scalene Cybernetics.

Dr Ramesan, who now heads Kuala Lumpur-based Scalene Asia Pacific, said he joined the team by starting out with research into medical devices and later ventured into renewable energy.

Serigas has similar properties to fossil natural gas but without the undesirable impurities like butane, propane, pentane and CO2. ?DR RAJAH VIJAY KUMAR

?I have always had a passion for waste management, especially municipal wastes, after being guided by two Indian experts in the field, Dr S.R. Maley and Mr Anjan Das,? he said.

It was Dr Ramesan who pointed out that there was abundant energy in the keladi bunting floating in the lake which could be used as feed. ?The Serigas technology provides the ideal solution for the huge amounts of wastes that Malaysia produces. It can turn what is now unwanted to most wanted and valued,? he said.

Dr Ramesan said the application can be widely used because the feedstock can be any organic wastes, including the 930 tonnes of leftover food ? the equivalent of 93,000 10kg bags of rice ? that Malaysians throw out daily.

?Palm oil effluent remain a huge problem for the industry. A 40-tonne mill, for example, produces up to 24 tonnes of effluent per hour. One tonne of effluent can produce 100 cu m of methane. One megawatt of power can be generated with 6,000 cu m of methane, or less than three hours of plant operation,? he added.

Dr Ramesan said the huge amounts of agricultural waste from almost every other crop and also from pig, cattle and chicken farms were potential feeds.

?The system can also take municipal solid wastes while processing wastes from hotels, island resorts, hospitals into renewable energy and can be custom built to meet requirements under Scalene?s ?plug-and-play? system, using very little manpower.?

He said the food and beverage industry, particularly beer breweries, were another area of focus. ?Spent grain from breweries is a huge and costly problem to get rid off. This technology offers the simple yet valuable answer to the problem,? he said.

A brewery in India, reputedly the second largest in the world, has commissioned Scalene to provide electricity for its plant using spent grain as feed.

The Scarlene Greenery technology will be showcased at the second International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Sept 7 to 10. A portable version, designed for houses, is expected to be on display.

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Three companies partner for biogas power plant - BioEnergy News

2011-09-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Three companies partner for biogas power plant - 6 September 2011

Three renewable energy companies have formed a partnership to develop and run a biogas pipe plant in Columbia, South Carolina, US.

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The new anaerobic digester will convert 48,000 tonnes of organic waste matter into 3.2MW of biogas power.

German plant engineering company Eisenmann will supply its anaerobic digestion technology to the project, while US companies W2E Organic Power and CIYCOR will oversee construction work.

'We have developed a significant group of partners with waste streams for our system and we look forward to beginning this brand new effort to process waste into energy,' says Daniel Rickenmann, CEO of W2E Organic Power, who is confident the project will be completed ahead of schedule.

The joint venture will break ground on the facility before the end of this year, with operations scheduled to begin in 2012.

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Who stands to profit from the biogas pipe? - Auburn Citizen

2011-09-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

On Aug. 31, 2010, the public had their first view of the dog and pony show of Frank Howe and Doug Young. They made their first presentation to the County Legislators on the subject of the biogas pipeline. In this presentation they quoted a cost of $3.5 to $7 million dollars to build 40 miles of pipeline. Not one legislator spoke up disagreeing with these figures. Yet Frank Howe, Tim Lattimore and Peter Tortorici, as members of the task force, should have been aware of a March 2009 planning document, where a cost of $60 million was placed on the construction of 20 miles of a biogas pipeline. Why was nothing said about the vast disparity in the cost estimates? Is someone trying to mislead the public to gain acceptance of this project?

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I have spent some time researching the 1984 law creating the Cayuga County Public Utility Service Agency (CCPUSA). This is Local Law No. 2 and defines the parameters of the agency and its restrictions. This law forbids the county and the agency power of condemnation and the establishment of generation, distribution and transmission systems. In 2005 the voters passed a referendum to amend this law allowing the agency to own, acquire, use and operate gas utility service and/or alternate energy service. Nowhere, in this amendment, were the restrictions on ownership, operation, use of electric facilities mentioned or amended. It is my opinion that the installation of a generator at the end of the pipeline would be in violation of Local Law No. 2 of 1984 and be illegal.

In a past letter, I estimated a cost of over $40 million for 40 miles of pipeline. Apparently, I was being too conservative in my estimates. As previously stated, in 2009, a core of local government officials has their names on a document stating an estimated a cost of $60 million for 20 miles of pipeline. This core of officials is now the driving force for the construction of the biogas pipeline. One has to ask, who stands to gain from this pipeline? Somehow I don’t think it’s the taxpayers, who will be paying for it.

Steve Gibbs

Auburn

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Waste-Derived Biogas Market to hit $217 billion in 2016 says New Forecast

2011-09-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

According to the report Waste-Derived Biogas: Global Markets for Anaerobic Digestion Equipment – Focus on North America sustainable energy production will be the fastest-growing energy sector over the next two decades. From 2010 to 2016, the market is projected to grow from $124 billion in 2010 to $217 billion in 2016. Price instability, supply anxieties, and the environmental aspects of fossil fuels are likely to boost the rate of all non-fossil fuel development.

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Currently, the cost of oil has hit highs of over $100 per barrel on the global market, while U.S drivers are paying nearly $4 per gallon of gasoline. Renewable domestic energy supplies are seen as a means of getting past these problems. Biogas, a clean fuel sourced mainly from waste materials, is a significant alternative to conventional fossil energy.

Read more about the report “Waste-Derived Biogas: Global Markets for Anaerobic Digestion Equipment – Focus onNorth America” is available from Report Buyer at:

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